DIMAPUR — Heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning in the early hours of Wednesday triggered waterlogging in several low-lying areas and power cuts in parts of Dimapur.
The incessant downpour battered Dimapur, forcing some schools to cancel classes for the day as residents of some localities were marooned for hours, while some campuses were inundated and people residing in border areas could not commute.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]Deputy Commissioner of Dimapur, Sachin Jaiswal, who is also the chairman of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), told Eastern Mirror that “there has been waterlogging especially in the low-lying colonies due to very heavy and persistent rains in the early morning (of Wednesday)”.
The team which had been on duty and taking stock of the situation since Wednesday morning said that ‘not the entire colonies but few areas of K Kire, Master Colony, SP Colony, Medical, Police Colony, Lengrijan Colony and GS Road, to name a few, were flooded caused by overflowing drains or the absence of it.
The team from the district administration had visited the affected areas and is in constant touch with the colony chairmen in case they need any relief, said the DC.
The Dimapur Urban Council Chairmen Federation (DUCCF) Zasivikho Zakiesato, who took a tour of Dimapur along with his colleagues on Wednesday morning to take stock of the situation, said that several low-lying areas were inundated with rainwater.
People residing near Nagaland gate and localities like Burma Camp, Khermahal and Lengrijan were worst affected by the rainfall; it’s a manmade catastrophe and nothing could be done. Zakiesato said “the colony residents residing near the main drainage should not throw their garbage in the main drain” to avoid waterlogging and a flood-like situation.
‘For the construction of drainage, the public should give/donate their land. The Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) and Urban department should try to work out a pilot project to construct the main drainage,’ he said.
Rainwater inundating houses caused by clogging of drains has become normal for us, said a resident of Westyard colony, adding that ‘many people wake up to their vehicles and houses being submerged in water, which of course, subsides after few hours, leaving us with a task for another minimum of two days to clear and clean the house and property’.
The Naga Shopping Arcade (Supermarket) in Dimapur, which houses a ticket counter and bus/sumo station, was flooded again. Those at the ticket counter, which has been shifted to the opposite side, said that it’s a usual scene whenever it rains, including light showers.
‘It is time the people and the concerned department take accountability for the waterlogging occurring every now and then during the monsoon season,’ said the person in-charge of ticket counters.
She said that passenger vehicles are shifted to the roadside so that travellers can board the vehicles without inconvenience whenever rains trigger flooding in the area.
What DAN has to say
A source from the Development Authority of Nagaland (DAN) acknowledged the problem, saying that development works at the Naga Shopping Arcade cannot be carried out due to fund constraints.
If people residing in the building pay their rents on time, some development work could be carried out but DAN is not in a position to do so due to the presence of defaulters, coupled with fund constraints, the source added.
On the issue of regular waterlogging in the area, the source said the only solution is constructing proper drainage from the complex to the Dhansiri river, while pointing out that the inlet or the compound is lower, thus prone to flooding during monsoon.
Power outage
Several localities in Dimapur faced power outages for up to 10 hours on Wednesday as the torrential rains affected the 33KV line at Metha Substation and 11 KV feeders in Dimapur. Notun Bosti feeder was also shut down due to an increase in water level at Lakeview colony, a source from the Power department informed.
The faulty at the 33KV line at Metha Substation, which occurred at 4 am, was detected to be from SEFTI colony, and was subsequently restored around 2 pm.
The 11 KV feeders, which were yet to be restored till the time of filing this report, affected other feeders – Dhobinala, Metha town, Westyard, DBC, ADC and Thahekhu.