Rains drench Dimapur in annual shower of headache

Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, May 2: The recently only “motorable” way to Naga United Village and beyond the Referral Hospital in Dimapur has been submerged with the Chate River riding the banks along the 4th Mile regions following a heavy downpour during the past few days. This has left commuters seeking alternative routes downstream and to downtown.
A Bailey bridge is being built for temporary movement of vehicles. The construction of the Bailey is adjacent to the main reinforced concrete construction bridge which is expected to be completed by April 2019.
When contacted, the executive engineer for Roads and Bridges Talitemsu informed that vehicles would be able to commute across the river once the bridge is completed. “The work of the Bailey bridge is going on continuously but we could not open it for the public in our calculated time since the gabion structures and back filling to the approach road couldn’t be done in full swing as the commuters could not wait for even a few minutes,” he said.
Reinforced Cement Concrete pipes are also placed across said submerged road. Despite the alternative route having been submerged, the officer was of the belief that it was a “blessing in disguise” that the flood occurred on the night of May 1 ‘as it stopped traffic, making way and space for the department to complete the Bailey bridge as soon as possible. ‘
On April 20, the Public Works department Minister Tongpang Ozukum inspected the ongoing “road repair and renovation” work announced by the Peoples Democratic Alliance government. He then informed media persons that the Bailey bridge would be complete for traffic by the first week of May.
Talitemsu has also assured that the Bailey bridge would be open in a few days time. “Once adequate moisture, temperature, and time to allow the concrete to achieve the desired properties for its intended use is completed, we will open the Bailey bridge,” he informed.
As the rains bring in a little more than water, a note from the principal of a local college in Dimapur also wrote to the Eastern Mirror lamenting what would be a common refrain for most Naga persons.
“The dreaded moment happened last evening when the hume pipes subway across the Chathe river was washed away last night. Though running a little behind schedule due to various circumstances, the state PWD department has been working consistently to make the Bailey bridge open to the public at earliest,” Dr. Chubatola Aier of C-Edge College stated in an email on Wednesday.
“The public are anxiously looking forward to see the long awaited bridge operational,” she added.

The shift of water

Motorists and auto rickshaw drivers struggle to push their vehicles through or off a flooded junction leading to Signal colony in Dimapur after a downpour on Wednesday. It is regularly that the rains flood this particular junction, near ‘Saam bazar,’ as it is at the hollow foot of a major highway—lowered even further when the straddling highway was raised during construction a few years ago.

That said, clogged drains at the Signal junction is a regular headache for commuters during the monsoon. Even a light shower submerges the main road while also spreading garbage and waste materials. Because the water would enter engines, vehicles often splutter out or force commuters to take a long roundabout. As for pedestrians they must often have to do with wading through the pungent sewage-saturated water.