Nearly 2 lakh people hit, Raj Bhavan offices, medical colleges inundated in Manipur floods

Imphal, May 31 (IANS) Around two lakh people have been affected in 348 villages and urban localities in eight districts of Manipur, where the flash floods continued to impact normal life for the fifth day on Friday but respite is in store as water levels are now receding, officials said.

Officials said that besides important installations including medical colleges and government offices, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh’s private residence, and various hotels were inundated in knee- to waist-deep water. Water also surged into the Raj Bhavan complex, leaving the Governor’s Office and Secretariat, staff quarters, and the security personnel’s barracks under flood water, with only the vintage building, which is the official residence of the Governor, unaffected.

However, with the intensity of the rain weakening, the flood waters in the city, its outskirts, and other places, as well as in major rivers, are receding.

State Water Resource Minister Awangbow Newmai said that incessant rainfall since Monday in the aftermath of Cyclone Remal, most of the state, spanning the hills and valley districts of Imphal East, Imphal West, Kangpokpi, Bishnupur, Noney, Churachandpur, Senapati, and Kakching, had been affected.

Three persons have died in different flood-related incidents so far while one person is missing and ten injured.

Besides the National Disaster Response Force, the State Disaster Response Force, Army, Assam Rifles and other central forces are engaged in relief and rescue works.

The minister said that 56 relief camps have been opened and over 20,000 people took shelter there. He also said 434 hectares of crop areas were affected and landslides occurred in several hill district areas.

The repair of the embankments, and tackling breaches and overflow of key rivers flowing in Imphal Valley is going on, he added.

The Chief Minister held a review meeting with ministers and top officials on the flood situation. He also inspected the rescue operation going on in Imphal city.

He said that a large number of people and livestock have been affected due to a breach of the river banks in many areas.

“Inspected the situation on the ground at Ima Market and nearby areas along with my cabinet colleagues and MLAs. All possible measures are being taken up to control the flooding in these areas. Chaired a meeting with Ministers, MLAs, Chief Secretary, security officials and all department officials to review the flood situation in the state, while assessing the ongoing measures to provide necessary aid and assistance to the affected families,” the Chief Minister said in a post on X.

He said that out of the 18 spots where the breach occurred in the embankments of rivers, 17 were sealed and the flooding in the surrounding areas has been successfully brought under control.

All the major rivers, including Imphal, Nambul, and Kongba, which were flowing above the danger level till late Thursday night, are now receding.

–IANS

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