Another monsoon, another Imphal valley underwater. We have reached a stage where people no longer check the weather forecast; instead, they check whether their drain has become an extension of the Nambul River. A day or two of rain, and suddenly the rivers of the valley decide to behave like overexcited guests at a wedding—overflowing, loud, and impossible to manage.
Why does this happen? The answer is painfully obvious: hills stripped of forests, rivers whose depths have been shaved thinner than a politician’s promise, and a system where “prevention” is just a word buried under official paperwork. Once upon a time—just a few decades ago—a week of rain only meant carrying an umbrella. Today, even 48 hours of drizzle leaves us wondering whether to build an ark.
Ah yes, dredging projects. The magical, invisible solution. They are announced with much fanfare, money is sanctioned, the “work” begins, and then—like the rivers they are supposed to deepen—the results vanish. No one really knows if the riverbeds were cleaned or if only the government coffers were dredged. In Manipur, projects tend to exist more on paper than on ground.
But the real show begins when the rivers rise. While people are running around, stuffing bags with soil, dragging bamboo poles, and forming human chains to stop breaches, the Water Resources Department seems to believe its job is to conduct an annual hibernation. By the time they wake up, the rivers have already introduced themselves to the living rooms of the valley. In truth, one wonders if the Department sees the floods as a yearly opportunity, not a calamity. After all, once the water recedes, the real prize arrives: compensation funds.
And so, the cycle continues. Rain, flood, breach, panic, nap, and finally—the distribution of funds with a generosity that would make even the rivers jealous. The public suffers, the officials prosper, and the forests continue to disappear.
Maybe the next time the clouds gather over Imphal, the government should distribute swimming lessons instead of flood warnings. At least then, the people would be better prepared than the Department that is supposed to protect them.