Floods deepen Manipur’s wounds as rivers breach embankments, one dead another not traceable

Manipur, already reeling under months of turmoil and humanitarian crisis, has been hit by another calamity as monsoon floods devastated large parts of the valley districts on Monday. Major rivers, including the Iril, Thoubal, and Nongdambi, breached embankments and submerged villages, displacing thousands and compounding the suffering of people still struggling to rebuild their lives.
The Iril River overflowed at Kshetri Awang Leikai in Imphal East, inundating homes and paddy fields under Kshetrigao constituency. In Thoubal, breaches along the Thoubal River at Haokha, Leishangthem, Khekman, and Keibung submerged several villages, leaving families marooned. The Nongdambi River triggered flooding in Salungpham, Sangaiyumpham, Yairipok, and Wangjing, while a landslide at Kairembikhok blocked the river’s flow, worsening the inundation in Shalungpham, Langmeithet, and Lourembam. Shalungpham alone reported over 200 homes under water.
In Imphal East, over a thousand families in Santi Khongbal, Seijang, Sabungkhok Khunou, Nongada, and Tellou-Chana were forced to flee as swollen tributaries of the Iril River caused waterlogging. Relief camps at Yourabung, Seijang, and Nongada are now overcrowded, with families crammed into makeshift shelters. Many residents, who had barely recovered from the June floods that destroyed over 35,000 houses, now find themselves once again without roofs, food, or clean drinking water.
The human toll grew darker after the body of a man was recovered from the Imphal River at Mayang Imphal on Sunday morning.  Police said the body was pulled out near Maibam Bridge and sent for post-mortem at RIMS, Imphal. Another, 70 years old person identified as Md. Ranjan 70 year s/o late Md. Najir Ali  of Kshetri Awang leikai has been felled at Iril River at around 3 pm today and still untraceable, report said.
The floods have crippled infrastructure. A wooden bridge linking Yairipok Changamdabi (Imphal East) and Yairipok Malom (Thoubal) was swept away, cutting off vital connectivity. In Thoubal, inundation reached localities such as Wangjing Wangkhei, Wangjing Hodamba, and Khangabok, while even a relief camp for internally displaced persons at Wangjing Kodompokpi Sports Complex was submerged, compounding the plight of those who had already been uprooted by conflict.
The India Meteorological Department has forecast more rainfall over the next two days. District authorities have warned of further breaches and urged people not to cross flooded rivers or walk through flowing waters.
For Manipur, the floods are more than a natural disaster. They are another wound on a society already fractured by unrest, testing the resilience of its people and straining the state’s fragile relief mechanisms.