Manipur floods: 19,811 people affected, 3,365 houses damaged

NEW DELHI: Over 19,000 people have been impacted by floods in Manipur caused due to overflowing of rivers and breaches in embankments, officials said on Monday.According to authorities, incessant torrential rains over the past four days have damaged 3,365 houses and affected 19,811 people. To ease the hardship of those evacuated, 31 relief camps have been established, mainly in Imphal East district. The worst-hit areas include the Heingang, Wangkhei, and Khurai assembly constituencies in Imphal East, along with Senapati district.In addition, 47 landslides have been reported across various parts of the state during the last four days.Several localities in Imphal, the state capital, and many areas in Imphal East district have been flooded following embankment breaches caused by swollen rivers in Khurai, Heingang, and Checkon.Waterlogging was also reported at multiple offices, health facilities, and establishments, such as the All India Radio Imphal complex and the state-run Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences, after the Imphal river overflowed in the Checkon area, an official stated.On Sunday evening, several patients at Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Porompat, Imphal East, were relocated to other hospitals as floodwaters entered the premises.

Local clubs, volunteers, and personnel from the SDRF and NDRF assisted in moving patients after floodwaters reached the female orthopaedic and surgery wards on the ground floor, the official added.Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla visited multiple flooded areas in Imphal town, while the army and Assam Rifles rescued nearly 800 people from submerged localities in Imphal East, the most affected district. Accompanied by Chief Secretary PK Singh and other senior officials, Bhalla toured Kangla Nongpok Thong, Lairikyengbam Leikai, and Singjamei Bridge in Imphal to assess the situation, according to a Raj Bhavan statement. The water level of the Iril river in Imphal East crossed the danger mark on Sunday but has yet to breach the embankments, officials said. Due to continuous rain, the governor announced the extension of summer vacation in schools across Imphal East and West districts and the Senapati sub-division of Senapati district until further notice. Parts of Senapati district were affected after the Senapati river overflowed near Viewland colony, officials added. The Indian Army and Assam Rifles rescued around 800 civilians on Saturday, a statement confirmed. Assam Rifles troops were deployed with quick reaction teams in the worst-hit areas including Porompat, Wangkhei, Sanjenthong, Palace Compound, New Checkon, Khurai, Heikrumakhong, Heingang, Soibam Leikai, Wangkhei Angom Leikai, Nongmeibung Raj Bari in Imphal East district and adjoining areas. “The total number of people rescued reached approximately 800, including 10 to 20 differently abled and elderly individuals,” the statement said. Authorities are coordinating with all relevant departments and agencies to ensure timely relief and rehabilitation efforts, another statement noted. Meanwhile, Lok Sabha MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam has urged the governor to declare the flood situation a “state calamity.” In a letter to Bhalla, Akoijam stated that such a declaration would enable the activation of institutional measures to manage the crisis effectively. Manipur Congress President Keisham Meghachandra Singh on Sunday criticized the water resources department for failing to control floods in various vulnerable areas. During a visit to flood-affected areas in the Heingang constituency of former chief minister N Biren Singh, the Congress leader emphasized that residential and agricultural areas were submerged due to overflowing rivers, aggravated by incomplete construction of retaining walls. PTI