Freak tornado rocks Dhubri

All evidence presently pointed to a tornado, which is a rare feature in this part of the country.

The thunder squall that had hit Dhubri was really devastating. It claimed 40 lives and left behind a scene of destruction. Still several more are missing from villages like Nandia area. At least 5,000 people have become homeless in four villages of Mancachar area very close to Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills district and Bangladesh.

These are Tukapara, Nandia, Palangiatola and Baliabeel.. The issue figured in the Rajya Sabha. Leader of the Opposition Manmohan singh, who represents Assam in the upper house, voiced concern over the devastation.

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee responded that all possible assistance would provided to the state government to help the victims.

The storm began brewing around 6.30 p.m on April 22. It gathered speed with in no time. It lasted just one hour. But for the victims the one hour looked like an eternity. One eyewitness said the high velocity winds literally lifted people sky high and dropped them some falling in local ponds and some in wells. A few were dropped in the wet and marshy lands.

Remoteness of the area and poor road network hampered relief work initially. Even extending medical aid. Relief and rescue teams from Dhubri managed to reach the place travelling by road for some distance and by crossing the river Brahmaputra by boat.

Governor Arvind Dave has expressed deep sorrow on the loss of human lives and sanctioned a sum of Rs 1 lakh from his relief fund to the affected people. Chief Minister Gogoi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 50,000 to the next of kin of the deceased, and Rs 5,000 to those with serious injuries from the Calamity Relief Fund. He sought Rs 50,000 as additional ex-gratia from the Prime Minister Relief Fund for the families of the deceased.

Gogoi took stock of the situation and directed ministers and officials to ensure adequate supply of foodstuff, baby food and medicines. He instructed the PHE officials to ensure pure drinking water by providing water purifying tablets and by installing new tube wells. THUNDERSTORM BY RARE TORNADO

Weather experts believe thunderstorm was caused by a rare tornado. The senior meteorologist H Pathak of Meteorological Centre, Guwahati, studied the phenomenon on the orders of Delhi. After a survey, he said all evidence presently pointed to a tornado, which is a rare feature in this part of the country. Taking into account the uprooted trees and tube wells, eyewitness accounts of survivors, line cutting on paddy crops and the route taken by the storm, the meteorologist believes he is on the right path. "While a similar storm occurred in different parts of the State with little or no damage yet this area was different and the manner in which the trees and tin sheets have been twisted shows it was a tornado. All cyclones take shape in the ocean and in the case of the North-East, it begins from the Bay of Bengal. Cyclones gradually weaken on entering the mainland and are accompanied by a heavy downpour for some days. In this case there was nothing of that sort and it can be made out that indeed a funnel-shaped tornado was formed that caused this destruction," said Pathak.

He believes that the storm had the three main characteristics of a tornado, viz, humidity instability of the atmosphere in the area, and the lifting mechanism of the air. He pointed out that such a characteristic was most prevalent in the North-east. Adding weight to his claims, the meteorologist said it was because of this that most of the rainfall occurred during the night in the North-east. Indicating that a similar storm could once again occur anywhere in the North-east, Sri Pathak attributed this to the pre-monsoon build-up of humidity and atmospheric pressure in the plain areas. "Such tornados occur in the plain areas and gradually disappear when coming in contact with hills," he added. He also pointed out another reason to further strengthen his claim of a tornado saying that some of the bodies retrieved bore severe burnt marks.
Heat and electricity builds up to a maximum in a tornado and can cause life threatening burns. On why the tornado could not be detected, Pathak said that unlike cyclones that take days to gain momentum a tornado can suddenly take shape and will last for only a couple of minutes. He also said that a general warning had been given to severe thunder squalls in the region prior to Tuesday’s devastation.

The weather observatory at Dhubri is only for monitoring rainfall and is not equipped with a radar which can detect changes in the weather. Presently there are only three radar stations for the entire North-East, one each at Borjhar Airport, Agartala, and Mohanbari (Dibrugarh). The meteorologist believes that installation of sophisticated weather detecting radars in sensitive areas, where the climate tends to change dramatically, after a thorough study is the only option to warn people of the impending doom and prevent further loss of lives and damage to property.Storm sweeps W Tripura, 8,000 families homeless. About eight thousand families were rendered homeless in the severe storm that swept Agartala and parts of West Tripura district. Eight Six camps of Tripura State Rifles (TSR) were damaged - six at Bramhacherra and two at Debendra Sardar Para village at Khowai.
                    
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