Rain water inundates low-lying areas in Dimapur

A spell of continuous rain from past midnight till early morning Saturday resulted in inundation of several low-lying areas of Dimapur which further exposed the City’s poor drainage infrastructure.
One of the worst-affected areas was Chungaizaeng Colony, under Burma Camp. The colony was inundated with stagnant water for almost the entire day, as residents had to bear strong stench that also raised health concerns. Colony residents were busy trying clearing clogged drains from as early as 4 a.m. Saturday.
Speaking to this Reporter, a resident said that volunteers had to clear the clogged drains to ease outflow in order to safeguard the health and environment in the colony.
He said the drains were completely blocked by overgrown vegetation and plastic waste which was mainly due to the bridge section which was at a lower level. Due to this, the water could not flow properly through the bridge resulting in clogging of drains.
The fact is that the drainage system was almost non-existent due to poor maintenance for over several decades.
Similar scenes were also witnessed at Vilhume Colony, Ward 20, Dimapur, where residents had to deal with water inundation throughout the day.
Major portions of the colony experienced water logging, with several homes partially submerged.
Most of Dimapur’s low-lying areas, continue to experience inundation during monsoon which has become a perennial problem.
The inundation arose mainly due to poorly designed drainage systems which only caused most low-lying colonies to remain waterlogged since there was no outflow.
Despite such occurrences happening every year, water logging caused property damage, and also disrupted normal life. Water logging also poses significant health hazards from waterborne diseases, skin infections, and mosquito-borne illnesses due to stagnant water.
When contacted, officials informed that no official complaints were received from the affected areas, till the time of filing this report.