Landslips cut off two Manipur hill districts

Tamenglong and Noney have witnessed torrential rains in the past few days.

Tamenglong and Noney, the two hill districts of Manipur, have been cut off from the rest of the State due to landslips triggered by torrential rains in the past few days, official reports said on August 17. A number of vehicles, mostly loaded trucks, are stranded on either side of the affected areas since August 16. Some drivers told reporters over phones that they were facing non-availability of food and other items at the mountain areas where there were no shops. Officials said that debris was being cleared using excavators. The first landslip was reported 5 km away from the Awang Khul village located along the Imphal-Jiribam national highway No. 37. Official reports also said that debris had blocked the Tamenglong-Khongsang road that branches off the NH 37. Both the two hill districts have been without power since August 16. All rivers in these two districts are running above the danger level. As heavy rain continues to lash the two districts, there is fear that more landslips could occur, blocking NH 37 which is the second lifeline for Manipur.