Flood situation improves

Imphal, June 15: The overall flood situation is improving in Manipur as the water level in most major rivers started to recede as rain stopped yesterday.  
Most of the Manipur rivers were flowing close to danger level till yesterday after heavy rains continued to lash the state since the last couple of days. But the flood situation in the state is fast improving now, official sources informed today.  
The situation in Manipur, Assam and Mizoram is fast returning to normalcy as rainfall stopped, easing the fear of more flood in the Northeast states.
In Mizoram, eight persons were killed and other six were reported missing after flash floods. A least 250 houses were washed away by flash floods in the border village of Tlabung in Lungeli district of southern Mizoram bordering Bangladesh on Tuesday.
A media report said search was continuing for three persons who were washed away by flash flood at Tlabung village. In Assam, the situation in the Northeast’s premier city Guwahati was fast improving after rainfall stopped in the past 24 hours. Three persons were killed in the city following water loggings caused by heavy rainfall.
Imphal river section at Imphal East’s Keirang Pangal Umang Konjin breached nearly 50 ft wide on Wednesday around 1 am after the flooding from the river broke through the embankment flooding several homes, paddy fields and firm land.
 The Imphal river bank also breached nearly 100 ft wide at Mayang Imphal Chabung Company inundating a number of houses and a vast area of paddy fields and fish firm land around noon on Wednesday.
Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh and IFCD Minister Letpao Haokip assured relief for affected families after they took stock of the flood situation yesterday.  
Saying that artificial floods are taking place every time in Manipur when there is rainfall, CM Biren asked all people to remove houses, schools, community halls, clubs and other structures built along the Imphal river bank to facilitate free flow of the river water.  
“The state government will initiate steps to remove all structures on the river bank between Koirengei and Lilong in the first phase,” Biren said yesterday while attending a function here.  
It is the third time the state is witnessing flood after April and May which also witnessed the same situation this year.