Khoupum dam overflows, houses, schools, Govt offices affected At least 37 Ha of paddy fields under flood water

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Jul 16: Incessant rain in Noney and Tamenglong districts triggered landslides and caused water to overflow from Khoupum dam, damaging several hectares of agricultural land, houses, schools and Government offices.
Electric poles have been damaged and power has also been cut off in Khoupum area.
At least 37 hectares of paddy fields on the bank of Leimatak River have been submerged and damaged by heavy rainfall on the midnight of July 15, the Longsai Village Authority has said, urging authorities concerned for relief.
Due to landslides in several places, the Bishnupur-Khoupum road and Khoupum-Noney DHQs road have been hit. Works to clear debris and restore connectivity are on.
Landslides have also affected and hindered vehicular movement along Imphal-Jiribam between Noney and Nungba. Two huge landslides occurred at Awangkhul. The NHIDCL has deployed its men and machinery to clear the road.
Vehicles coming from Jiribam are stranded at Shantikhunou and those from Imphal are stranded at Noney.
Vehicular movement along the NH-37 at Kambirol and Khongsang area have also been affected.
Notably, there was very heavy rainfall in Noney and Tamenglong districts from Tuesday night to early this morning.
The incessant rainfall triggered several rivers including Duiching, Mengcheng and Taotu Khunthok River that flow into Khoupum Dam to swell, subsequently causing the dam water to overflow and inundate low lying areas.
The overflowing water from the dam has affected several houses, schools and Government offices in low lying areas of Khoupum Tampak.
Reportedly, two houses in Khunou Part-I Gaidimjang, one house in Lubanglong, Khoupum SDO office and 19 Assam Rifles camp have been flooded.
There have been incidents of the dam water overflowing in the past, but the volume and intensity this time is the strongest. The overflowing water from the dam has flooded vast tracts of agricultural land, said Kahimdai Kamei, secretary, Khoupum Area Village Authority Council, speaking to The Sangai Express.
The Khoupum Tampak is surrounded by around 15 small villages, and the cultivated land of the villagers is located in the low-lying plain area. The fields have been inundated with water and debris brought down by the water. The crop may fail this year, bringing huge losses to the farmers and villages, Kamei said.
The flooding occurred suddenly due to the large volume and high intensity of the overflowing water. While there have been no reports of any casualties, the damage that has been caused to livestock has not been ascertained yet, he said.
The police and the Khoupum SDO staff have inspected the flood, but the extent of damage is not known yet, he added, appealing to the authorities concerned of the Government for timely assistance.
Meanwhile, the work to clear debris and restore Bishnupur-Khoupum road connectivity is being handled by Keystone Infra Private Limited. The work was on till late in the evening, said sources.
At least four landslides hit Khoupum-Noney DHQs road. Nungba AC MLA Dinganglung Gangmei  has provided an excavator and Keystone infra Private Limited has been engaged to clear the debris. The connectivity may be restored late this evening if weather permits, said sources.