Northeast Desk, 29th May: Manipur has been battered by continuous rainfall over the past two days, leading to flash floods, mudslides, and landslides that have paralyzed normal life across the state. The deluge has highlighted the inadequacies in the drainage infrastructure, resulting in severe flooding in several valley areas.
The situation escalated dramatically with the breaching of major rivers such as the Imphal River and the Nambul River due to the relentless downpour. The overflowing rivers have inundated roads and entered residential houses, government offices, and quarters, leaving many valley regions submerged.
In the Imphal East district, the Imphal River overflowed near the Lamlong Bridge, affecting areas including Khurai, Soibam Leikai, and Porompat. Lamlong Keithel has been submerged, and floodwaters have been seen flowing over the Lamlong-Pangei road. Additional flooding has impacted Heingang, Hatta Golapati Maning Leikai, and areas near Kekrupat, with waters reaching as far as the North AOC and Khoyathong traffic point.
Other affected areas include Sagolband, Kakwa, Thangmeiband, Kwakeithel, and Uripok. The collapse of the Irang Bailey Bridge on the Imphal-Jiribam highway around 4:30 pm yesterday has left numerous trucks stranded en route to Imphal. Additionally, landslides and mudslides have disrupted travel on both the Imphal-Jiribam and Imphal-Dimapur highways. In the Ukhrul district, landslides along the Imphal-Ukhrul road have stranded many passenger vehicles for hours.
A particularly severe mudslide at Sinam Village along the Imphal-Jiribam road swept a truck into a gorge, though, fortunately, no casualties have been reported.
Many areas in the hill districts are experiencing similar conditions, with the government issuing advisories and instructing schools to remain closed until May 31 to ensure the safety of residents amid the ongoing adverse weather.
This severe weather event underscores the critical need for improved infrastructure and emergency preparedness to mitigate the impact of such natural disasters in the future.
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