IMPHAL, May 18: Owing to the heavy downpour of incessant rain in the State since yesterday evening, water level of main rivers including Imphal, Nambul and Nambol River are flowing above the warning level.
According to reports received from the control room of Irrigation & Flood Control Department (IFCD) located at Khoyathong, the water level of Imphal River was recorded at 787.000 m above the warning level 785.900 m till today 6 pm.
Likewise, the water level of Nambul River was recorded at 782.975 m above the warning level 781. 175 m while Nambol River was recorded at 783.000 m above the warning level 781.175 m.
The warning level of Nambul and Nambol River was recorded at 10 am. Afterwards, the water level of Imphal River also rose above the warning level.
However, the rivers have not reached the flood stage and highest flood level.
Besides inundating low areas in Imphal valley, water levels of rivers flowing in the hills have also been raised at an alarming stage due to the heavy shower of rainfall.
Till morning, the rainfall was recorded at 46 mm at Kangpokpi, 15 mm at Litan, 38 mm at Saikul, 34 mm at Raj Bhavan and 37 mm at Lamphel.
The IFCD has taken up precautionary measures to face any kind of danger to be caused possibly by the heavy rainfall.
The heavy rainfall also washed away the newly constructed bailey bridge at Noney which is yet to be inaugurated at around 7.30 am.
The bailey bridge which connects Noney with Nungtek, Tamenglong district was built over the Ijei River.
The bridge was constructed at an estimated cost of around Rs 40 lakh.
The heavy downpour of rainfall also damaged huge crops worth lakhs of rupees at Uyumpok, Imphal East.
Vegetables including watermelon, pumpkin, maize, bottle gourd, capsicum and tomato grown by farmers at Uyumpok, Nongsum and Lamboikhul in more than 15 hectares of land have been submerged in water.
Many farmers have been pushed to the wall as water from Khementok River has overflowed, damaging their crops.
Speaking to this daily, Haorongbam Hemchand, a farmer said that since agriculture is the main occupation in the areas, natural calamity like incessant heavy rainfall is catastrophic for them.
Many farmers had cultivated vegetables during off season by spending around Rs 70-80, 000 for living.
For this, some farmers borrowed money from others while some sold their properties and gold ornaments. The crops are about to harvest but the rainfall has played spoilsport, he rued.
Grieved at the loss caused by the rainfall, he urged the government to compensate at least some amount for the loss vegetables.
Vehicular movement in areas along Imphal-Jiribam road on National Highway-37 has also been affected due to the heavy rainfall.
Some parts of hills along the highway caved in besides flooding the road by the water overflowed from the hills.
The same situation was witnessed in other areas including Langkhom and Lukhambi Car Wash Centre.
Exact areas along the highway affected by the rainfall could not be known as there was breakdown of mobile network and no vehicles could reach the areas due to deplorable condition of the road.
