Clogged septic tanks add to woes of IDPs at Sawombung
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 10 2026: One problem after another, thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs) continue to languish in relief camps even though the crisis in Manipur has entered its fourth year.

Among them are the residents of the Sawombung Temporary Shelter Home, where over a hundred families from different villages share rooms that lack adequate space.

Even as they struggle to make ends meet and live in unimaginable conditions after fleeing their villages when their houses were torched, a new problem has emerged.

All the septic tanks at the shelter home have overflowed, draining into the public pond they rely on.

Clogged septic tanks add to woes of IDPs at Sawombung

The home has 20 blocks, with one septic tank serving 10 families each.

While some IDPs have been resettled in their native villages, as many as 656 individuals from 158 families from Sadu Yengkhuman, Ikou, Gwaltabi, Sana Keithel, Saikul, Churachandpur, Dolaithabi, Leitanpokpi, Mairenpat, Kangpokpi, Yaingangpokpi, Santi Khongbal, and Itham are still taking refuge at the Sawombung shelter home.

Irengbam Rajen, convenor of the Sawombung Temporary Shelter Home, told The Sangai Express that the Government last pumped out water from the outlets of the septic tanks in June of last year.

Since then, the inmates have been clearing the tanks themselves, using funds they raised on their own, he said.

He added that the Municipal team, which used to clean the septic tanks, informed them that the Government has stopped providing funds for the task.

The septic tanks are made of plastic and they often overflow due to cracks or soil entering them, and the situation worsens during the rainy season, Rajen explained.

Stating that they have repeatedly requested the Government to repair the septic tanks but their appeals have gone unheeded, he rued that the authorities treat them like prisoners.

He also noted that some IDPs have suffered from skin diseases as the contaminated water drains into the pond they rely on for household chores.

Rajen said that the Government seems to not understand the conditions in which they are living.

He added that the toilets attached to every room of the shelter home often flood because the septic tanks do not function properly.

Phairembam Vikram, another inmate, stated that the Lamlai Municipal Council installed dustbins at the shelter home but did not send workers to collect the garbage.

Saying that they have no choice but to pile up the waste inside the campus and burn it despite the health and environmental risks, he added that the liquid from the waste and the smoke from burning it cause serious problems for the residents.

The Government provides IDPs with a daily allowance of Rs 84 per person, after deducting Rs 16 for the maintenance of the shelter home, he said and added that surviving a day on such meagre funds is extremely difficult.

It may be mentioned that, according to an RTI response sought by a Congress leader, 58,881 individuals were still displaced as of March 30 .