Man made disturbances, natural disasters Of floods and landslides
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: August 03 2015 -
The movement to demand the Inner Line Permit System or a law to check the incursion of outsiders into Manipur.
The curfew imposed in Imphal East and Imphal West following the death of school student Sapam Robinhood in police action, valley areas flooded following heavy downpour in the last couple of days with some bridges washed away, the death of at least 20 people in a massive landslide at Joumol village in Khengjoy sub-division of Chandel district, different landslides along the main roads in the hill districts.
Clearly, Manipur is in dire strait.
Not all are man made, but come of think of it, the activities of the people too must have gone a long way in aiding the natural disaster.
Manipur is indeed in trouble, for it is not often that a small place is consecutively visited by natural disasters and man-made disturbances.
And this is what Manipur is experiencing at the moment.
It is only expected of the Government to respond to the situation and accordingly do something to lessen the sufferings of the people, but yet at the same time, the twin disaster of floods and landslides too should give some food for thought to the people as a whole.
Manipur witnesses heavy rainfall every year, but have the people sincerely understood the implications of such a fact ?
Tough to say, for it stands that the seasonal floods that Manipur has been witnessing down the years have as much to do with the heavy floods as well as man made circumstances.
With all the natural water ways such as the roadside nullahs, locally known as khongbans encroached upon without any check in all lanes and by lanes of Imphal and other areas it has dealt a heavy blow on the natural water ways.
Add the rampant and unchecked disposal of wastes, especially the non biodegradable items such as plastic sheets and others and the situation is just right for water clogging leading to floods.
The situation is no better at the major waterways such as Imphal river, Nambul river and the Naga nullah.
Large scale disposal of waste, especially non biodegradable objects such as plastics can make a dangerous cocktail with the heavy rains and the present floods that one sees in the valley areas is the result.
This is primarily about the valley areas and go to the hill districts and the numerous mud slips or landslides may be said to be due to a number of factor.
The people may not have anything to do with loose soil formation, but certainly it is the people who are responsible for large scale deforestation.
With trees gone, it is but natural for soils to become loose and the scale of landslides in the hill districts may be attributed to this. This is what is disturbing to note.
Given the topographical reality of the State, landslides and mudslides are not uncommon, but what has made matter worse is the manner in which trees are being cut down in the hills to earn some quick money.
Floods in the valley areas and landslides in the hill districts.
This is what Manipur is experiencing presently and there is nothing pretty about this.
Perhaps the only bright spot in the otherwise murky reality that Manipur is in today, may be the decision of the Government to re-open all educational institutions from tomorrow (August 3).
Already students have lost enough time and hopefully all will come around to the idea that it makes no sense to disturb the academic pursuit of the young students.
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