Imphal, August 26 2017: An orphanage was washed away due to flash floods at Karong, while mudslides destroyed at least seven houses at Chakhumei, both located along NH-2 in Senapati district .
Unrelenting heavy rain wreaked havoc across Manipur’s Senapati district bordering Nagaland in the early hours of Saturday, causing flash floods in the normally gentle Barak riverbeds of the hilly district and forcing many villagers to flee to safer places .
The difficulties rose with mudslides blocking the traffic along the National Highway 2.There was no report of any human casualty .
The down pour hit Compassionate Children Ministry, an orphanage home, last night.
Although each of the 120 orphans housed there are safe, the flood tore through the heart of CCM campus ravaging everything that stood on its path.
The flood took along with it utensils, furniture, keyboard & sound system used at the chapel hall, Livestocks raised by the proprietor to fund the orphanage, books and notebooks used by the children, other personal belongings of the children .
Even the car belonging to the proprietor was washed away by the rushing flood water while also uprooting its 4 classrooms school building.
All in all, there is almost nothing left to salvage out of CCM .
The children are now left without a home, food, spare cloths and other basic amenities.
They are battling bad weather, water contamination and serious danger of illness .
To extend help to the orphans and bail them out YouthAct and Herald Today have set up a dedicated relief material collection center at the Herald Today’s Head office .
Donations may be made towards providing relief to the victims of the CCM flood.
Relief materials that are of immediate requirements are dry ration (rice, vegetables, biscuits etc), basic medicine, water, cloths, plastic sheets, sanitary napkins, blankets, books, notebooks and stationeries for the students along with cash for meeting the daily needs of the orphans and also help rebuild the orphanage, said YouthAct and Herald Today in a joint statement .
Another mudslide covering a stretch of nearly 90 feet at Makhan Tabio, about 90 kms north of Imphal along the same route, blocked the traffic, forcing many outgoing trucks to return.
Some Imphal-bound passenger buses and trucks were stranded near Mao gate, according to reports .
Many houses at Karong, a small hamlet on the bank of Barak river 65 km north of Imphal, were submerged due to sudden rise of water level and at least four houses of a colony in Senapati district headquarters, 60 km north of Imphal, were badly affected by flood waters, said sources .
“Now we are trying to take shelter at a junior school and a hostel in Karong area as flood waters washed away everything,” Robin Raomai, a functionary of Compassionate Children Ministry orphanage, told HT over phone.
“We are requesting the authorities to extend necessary help.”
Senapati district Deputy Commissioner Athem Muivah said the district administration will provide 100 blankets, 20 rice bags and other essential relief materials as an immediate measure to the affected orphanage .
“We are also planning to distribute relief materials to the affected villagers, besides taking up other necessary steps,” Muivah added .
The flood in Senapati is the deadliest in the last three decades, M Thowo, a resident of Church Road Colony in the district, told HT over phone .
Manipur has been witnessing frequent flash floods after Cyclone Mora hit the State in May.
The State has suffered losses of about Rs 213.71 crore, according to the damage assessment done .
So far, 19 people have lost their lives and nearly 85,226 hectares of agriculture land has been affected.
Source: The Sangai Express
