The massive landslide that hit the railway construction camp at Marangching area in Noney district last week will go down the history of Manipur as one of the worst natural disasters the state has ever faced. The catastrophe has killed at least 47 people, injured over a dozen and 14 are still missing as rescue operations continue into the sixth day. Besides loss of lives, the devastating landslide stretching about 1 km also damaged properties after the dam-like situation caused by the debris that blocked the Ijei River inundated a vast area of paddy fields during the transplantation season. While the Central and state agencies, as well as the local people deserve appreciation for carrying out search operations to rescue those trapped, amid heavy rainfall and danger of mudslides in the affected area. The frequency of such natural calamities in the north-eastern states should be a cause of concern and a wakeup call to look into the possible causes and take up preventive measures. While the concerned authorities take stock of the situation, the tragic incident reminds of the Environment ministry’s statement in parliament in 2018 that landslides, which frequently take place in hilly areas of Manipur during monsoon, “are mostly anthropogenically induced, caused as a result of modification of slopes for construction, widening of road, quarrying for construction materials, fragile lithology, complex geological structures and heavy rainfall”. The fact that the recent massive landslide occurred near a railway construction site should open the eyes of experts and authorities; studies should be conducted as to what could have gone wrong or should have been done to avoid such disasters in the future.
While hill stations in the Northeast region can’t afford to stop developmental works after being neglected for so long, it will also be costly to take up major projects like roads and railways in haste; without proper study of the topography. The recent natural calamities also point to the need of striking a balance between infrastructure development and environment. The India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2021 revealed that the region has been witnessing a consistent loss of green cover over the years though it still accounts for one-fourth of the country’s total forest cover. This change should be checked not only to protect the rich biodiversity of the region but also to help fight global warming which can contribute to extreme weather events. Besides this, strict building regulations are necessary to ensure the safety of people living in landslide-prone areas; more so in the Northeast which falls under seismic zone V or the highest damage risk zone.