Joy blames Govt for flood woes, demands probe
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, June 05 2025: Veteran politician Okram Joy has blamed the state government's negligence and lack of preparedness for this year's devastating flood, calling it a manmade calamity rather than a natural disaster.

He said that insincerity in executing flood mitigation projects resulted in the ongoing flood.

Addressing the media at his Kakwa residence on Thursday, 0 Joy said that the current flood was triggered by pre-monsoon rainfall and warned that the monsoon has yet to arrive.

Another bout of rainfall is likely around October given the rainfall pattern in the state, and unless the government takes up necessary measures with sincerity and proper planning, the state will face similar situations once or twice again within the year, he cautioned.

Joy explained that heavy rainfall in the hills, especially in the catchment areas of major rivers, often causing flooding in the valley, is not a new phenomenon.

Noting that the purpose of flood mitigation projects and infrastructure is to reduce or resolve the impact of such predictable events, he, however, lamented that projects sanctioned by the Centre for this purpose are not implemented properly on the ground.

The senior politician also pointed to the poor condition of riverine systems like Chandranadi, Waishel, Kongba, and Naga rivers, which play crucial role in funnelling rainwater.

He further noted that due to the lack of proper development of these systems, Imphal area frequently faces waterlogging even with a single bout of moderate to heavy rainfall, irrespective of whether riverbanks overflow or breach.

He strongly criticised the lack of a special project for Waishel Maril, stating that government authorities have shown no interest in according due importance to it.

Ministers and MLAs are carrying out development works without conforming to the Manipur Flood Plain Zoning Act or other relevant regulations.

He said that riverbanks should be left untouched during road development projects, but in the state, they are often encroached upon, which compromises the natural barriers and eventually leads to breaches.

Raising serious questions about the role of Ithai Barrage, 0 Joy asked why it was not opened in time and why the government remained oblivious to the crucial role the barrage plays in mitigating flood.

He said that the priority of the barrage should not be limited to maintaining water levels for the Loktak Project but must also include flood mitigation as a critical function.

He stressed that the real victims of flood are always the poor families and farmers, whose voices are often ignored in policy decisions.

Recalling his own tenure as the IFC minister, O Joy said that during his time, riverbank enforcement projects were initiated and completed by the end of April, and adequate stocks of flood mitigation materials were made available in police stations and other appropriate locations.

He also recalled how senior officials of the department, from the chief engineer to section officers, used to spend nights on the riverbanks in preparation for any emergency.

He questioned what the current officers of the Water Resources Department were doing before the recent flood hit.

O Joy also emphasised the urgent need for the state government to prepare a master plan for water resources management and implement key initiatives with focus on flood mitigation during the rainy season and water conservation during the dry seasop.

He said that a commission of enquiry should be constituted to investigate the faults of the Water Resources Department and the National Hydro Power Corporation in relation to the current flood crisis.

He further demanded that the commission examine all flood mitigation funds sanctioned by the Centre between 2018 and 2025 and investigate how they were utilised, along with calling for timely eviction of encroachers from sensitive areas so that early flood control measures can be taken up without delays.

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