Manipur Rains Cut Off Border Villages, Damage Farms and Key Bridges Across Three Hill Districts
Guwahati, August 6 : Two days of continuous rainfall have caused flash floods and landslides across Manipur’s hill districts of Senapati, Ukhrul and Kamjong, damaging farmland, roads and bridges while cutting off several border villages from road connectivity.
The heavy rain pushed several rivers above the danger level, flooding large areas of agricultural land, fish ponds and low-lying locations near residential settlements. The situation has affected farming activities and raised concerns over crop losses in the three districts.
The Ngaorei (Laini) River, which originates in Ukhrul town and flows along the Ukhrul-Senapati border before entering Nagaland and Myanmar, crossed the danger mark following the prolonged rainfall. The Rangazak Kong River also overflowed near Chingjaroi village in Ukhrul district, increasing the possibility of further flooding and landslide incidents in nearby areas.
In Laii village, flash floods submerged an estimated 80,000 to 90,000 tins, a local unit of land measurement, of newly transplanted paddy fields. More than 100 farming families were affected as dozens of fish ponds and hundreds of terraced farms also suffered damage.
The rain also affected transport infrastructure in several locations. Floodwaters washed away the Bailey bridge over the Nambalok River in Kamjong district, the only road link connecting Chatric with 12 neighbouring villages in the Sahamphung block along the Indo-Myanmar border. According to local reports, the bridge had already been weakened after an explosion on July 21 that was allegedly carried out by militants.
Flooding further damaged the foundation of the main bridge over the Laini River, disrupting access to Laii and Kharasom villages. In another incident, a large landslide destroyed nearly 100 metres of road, leaving Ngari village completely cut off from the rest of the district.
Residents and village authorities said people are now crossing fast-flowing streams on foot to reach their farms and access essential services due to the damaged road network.
The affected communities have urged the Manipur government to send teams to assess the damage, provide compensation for crop losses and speed up the construction of durable infrastructure. They have also requested the immediate restoration of the Laini River bridge and the construction of a hanging bridge linking Chingjaroi, Lower Phaibung and Laii village to restore connectivity.
