Rain, hailstorm bring relief for water-starved Ukhrul
Source: Chronicle News Service / R Lester Makang
Ukhrul, March 15 2023:
The much-awaited rains finally arrived in Ukhrul district on Wednes -day morning, bringing relief to the locals who have been struggling with the prolonged pre-monsoon dry spell.
Since early morning, dark clouds gatheredin the sky and around 9.30 am the sky suddenly opened up and poured down.
The hailstorm accompanied by brief rain lashed various parts of the district and lasted for about 30 minutes.
For a few moments, hail turned the ground into a mass of white carpet and it was a welcome sight for the residents.
Videos that captured scenes of the rain and hailstorm were shared on social media from different parts of the district.
Soon after the rain, the sky was sunny for some moments around 10am but then soon gave way to dark clouds.
Although there was no rain afterward, the rest of the day largely remained cloudy.
Meanwhile, many residents of Ukhrul town were elated to see the rain after a long dry spell.
They were hopeful that the shower would help ease a long dry spell and the dust that had gathered on the roadways.
More importantly, many town residents, especially women, believed that the shower, though brief, was enough to bring relief to the residents who have been struggling to get water for their daily needs.
They believed that the wet weather would restore water in some of the local water ponds which had dried up due to the long dry spell.
"I am hopeful that the rain would restore water in our local ponds which had dried up due to the long dry spell.
And this would surely take away some of our daily water stress in the next few days, " said Athing, a female resident.
Another town resident, Somila, related that she has been making trips to a local water pond in the wee hours to fetch a pot full of water.
However, on most occasions she had to wait for hours to fill her pot as the pond had dried up due to a long dry spell.
"With this rain, I can now spend less time at the pond, at least for the next few days," she exuded hope.
The long dry spell in Ukhrul town has resulted in many households having to buy water from private tankers, incurring huge expenses to the tune of Rs 2000/3000 a month.
The cost of water here ranges from Rs 350 to Rs 400 for a quantity of 500 litres.
Buying water from private tankers, the residents are now tired of shelling out huge money and are now griping about their situation.
They felt that it would be a big relief if the government could provide them with water at a reasonable price or else make arrangements to ease their hardships.
The government has so far not taken up any steps to ease the situation which is rapidly deteriorating.