Hundreds of families were affected as unprecedented early on Sunday inundated several colonies in and around Dimapur.
The worst affected areas were Zeliangrongram colony, Master colony, Netaji colony, Medical colony, Vilhume colony, Lake View colony, Lengrijan, Ao Yimsen, Borlengri, Nepali Kashiram, Burma Camp (Rainbow colony), Walford colony, Police colony, Island colony, low lying areas of Indisen village and Duncan Basti, Super Market area etc. However, no loss of life was reported from anywhere.
In some areas vehicles were also submerged while most of the areas remain inundated in waist-deep water.
Speaking to Nagaland Post, deputy commissioner Dimapur Sachin Jaiswal, who is also the chairman of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), said that the Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority team, along with district administration and DMC visited the affected areas to assess the situation.
Though they were yet to get more data of those affected, Jaiswal said that around 150 individuals from Police colony were being sheltered at Salt Christian College since their houses were damaged or submerged underwater. NSDMA team were also seen carrying out rescue operations in several areas. Further, a team of 43 Assam Rifle personnel provided food to the affected people at Vilhume and SM colony.
ADC Dimapur Mhalo Humtsoe said that the district administration and NSDMA were putting in their best efforts to help the affected people.
The incident has once again exposed the city’s poor drainage system due to lack of any scientific planning.
Several affected households from Medical and Vilhume colonies blamed the authorities concerned for waterlogging.
They alleged negligence on the part of the State government over the years to resolve the issue in their area and requested immediate relief since hundreds of houses had been inundated, affecting thousands of people.
Some affected residents were however forthright in their opinion that the residents too ought to share a part of the blame for the problem of waterlogging. They stressed that residents ought to be more responsible while disposing of their waste by ensuring that these are not dumped into drains.
Some GBs and office-bearers of colony/village councils maintained that waterlogging was taking place because residents often threw their garbage into the drain.
They maintained that residents should not blame the district administration or Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) alone, emphasising that every resident as a responsible citizen should take the responsibility of keeping their surrounding areas clean.
Zeliangrong GB Namsin thanked the DMC for clearing the clogged drain in the colony, but pointed out that the municipal council should regularly check drains of low-lying colonies to avoid floods.
He also urged student bodies, civil society organisations (CSOs) and stakeholders to come together to sensitise citizens on sanitation management and called for collective efforts to tackle flash flood and waterlogging.
IMD issues weather alert
India Meteorological Department on Sunday warned of widespread heavy rainfall, thunder, lightning and gusty winds likely to occur in the North Eastern states during the next five days.
IMD said that due to strong low-level Southerly and South Westerly winds from the Bay of Bengal to Northeast India is very likely during the next few days.
“Under its influence, fairly widespread rainfall activity with heavy to very heavy rainfall/thunderstorm with lightning is very likely to occur,” it said.
This warning comes at a time when some parts of Northeast India are reeling under heavy rainfall.