Donald Takhell

Recurring floods in Manipur, including the recent one in September, have inundated villages, farms and houses. While climate change may have a role to play in increasing the intensity of rainfall, other reasons for the floods, such as increasing deforestation and fewer buffer zones due to urbanisation and encroachment should also be factored in, experts say. Additionally, invasive plants, plastic pollutants and other debris restrict the flow of rivers and decrease the drainage of storm water.

Perhaps, the suffocation and the miseries we had had to endure due to the prolonged ethnic conflict needs a release. For some, mostly the teenagers this seems to be in the form of short hikes to the hills and hillocks circling Imphal. For music lovers of our generation, who mostly are akin to listening to indie music or independent artists, it is through attending gigs and music festivals organised mostly in the picturesque countryside.

Continuous rainfall over the past five days, triggered by a depression over northern Bangladesh and adjoining Meghalaya, has wreaked havoc across both the hills and the valley regions of Manipur. Widespread flooding and landslides have disrupted lives and infrastructure, with major portions of Imphal West submerged following river overflows and multiple breaches along embankments.