Mystery disease claims cattle at Mapithel area
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, January 22: The constant occurence of death of buffaloes in Mapithel range that covers around nine villages in Ukhrul district has created panic among the villagers and prompted them to relocate their cattle to safe places so as to prevent them from being infected with the mystery disease.

At Shingta village alone, the mystery disease has claimed 10 buffaloes and in its neighbouring village, Marou, another six buffaloes have also died during a span of just one month and the toll is expected to rise in the absence of medical care.

Narrating his distressing story, 47 year old K Ngathingkhui of Shingta village said, he had lost four buffaloes during this month alone.

A man stands forlornly besides his dead buffalo

"In the first week of December last my young buffalo suddenly died without indicating any symptom.

After two days another big one expired with saliva frothing from the mouth.

Being curious about the incident this time our villagers approached the Ukhrul Veterinary Department and some of their officials visited our village and administered some drugs to the remaining buffaloes.

We thought the disease was contained at that time but to our woes the buffaloes in the village died one after another and the death toll has risen to ten in two weeks time.

In the meantime I lost two more buffaloes and the amount of money for the loss of four buffaloes has incurred me around Rs 45000," said Ngathingkhui.

Ngathingkhui had otherwise hoped to depend on the money he would be receiving from hiring charge of those four buffaloes by other cultivators this year.

But his plan seems to have been totally rinsed off when he said, he had only two young buffaloes left now and that he would be cultivating maize, sweet potatoes and other foodgrains for the year.

In another case, its neighbour Marou village also claimed to have lost six buffaloes and the villagers said such dreadful event is still likely to occur any time.

The village secretary, AS Sultan said two of the buffaloes that have expired belonged to him and the villagers simply remain in panic not knowing what to do.

There are more than 100 buffaloes in the village and the only thing we could do now is to shift them miles away from the spot where such incident occurred and we are doubtful if this measure could really save the living buffaloes, he added.

Most of the villages of Mapithel range are connected through Inter Village Road via Litan but due to the deplorable condition of the road commuters from Imphal could reach the villages through Lambui village after travelling about 20 kms.

Although Mapithel area officially comes under Phungyar sub division in Ukhrul district, the villagers said they have no proper road connectivity to the block and also in view of the hectic to travel long distance of about 30 to 35 kms they depend on Litan police station for any legal purposes.

The area with a population of around 4000 has only one high school at Shingkap village but due to non-functioning under the Government we have privatised it by appointing four teachers and no students from the neighbouring villages come to study here except the students from Shingkap village, said the village headman.

When it comes to irrigation the area has a good source of water but due to the failure to lay a pipe line some of the villages still have to totally depend on the stream that flows along the range.