Imphal, May 25: The sudden appearance of wide cracks in houses and roads of Shongthel and Molnom villages in Ukhrul district has created widespread apprehension among the villagers there. Heavy rain during the adjoining night of May 21 and 22 is widely believed to be the cause of the cracks.
The affected families have abandoned their houses and moved to safer locations along with their house-hold items, according to village chief of Shongthal Kamthang Haokip.
After the startling discovery of the fissures in the ground, KSO Ukhrul branch and MDCC members from Jalengbung took a media team to the two villages today in order to provide wide coverage on the ground situation.
Shongthel village, which is located along 15 km from Mahadeva along Old Sirarakhong, comprised of about 84 households and a population of 450. After heavy torrential rain lashed the village that night, numerous cracks were observed all over the village in the morning, some of which were as long as 30 meters.
Kamthang said even after the passage of a couple of days, many villagers are still gripped in a fear psychosis from the breakage in the ground, inside which the water from the rain had seeped into. The matter was reported to MDCC member Yemkholet Khongsai of 16-Jalendung as the villagers were clueless about the future impacts after the crack formation and at same time they were apprehensive about possible landslides.
The village chief has drawn the attention of authorities concerned to look into the matters, worried over the realistic threat of landslides compounding the present woes of the villagers. We would like to draw the attention of Ukhrul DC to take precautionary measures before any untoward incident occur in the village, he stated.
Meanwhile, village chief of Molnom Khupao Lunkim has reported the appearance of cracks in his village too.
Large cracks split the floors in seven houses and deep crevice was created at one end of the village, he added. Lunkim expressed fear that if rain continues in the future it will eventually trigger massive landslides and urged the authorities to take pre-emptive steps including finding suitable place for relocation of the villagers.