Flash flood ravages Sorbung and Ngatan paddy fields

Villagers fearful of losing of livelihood

From Our Correspondent

KANGPOKPI | Sept 7 

Heavy rain along with mud, stones and woods decimated paddy fields in Sorbung and Ngatan villages which are under Tadubi block of Senapati district, under Karong Assembly constituency. 

Sorbung is 30 km away from the Senapati district headquarters. There are 194 households with the population of 967 as per the 2011 census.

Around 100 hectors of paddy field were damaged. Standing crops were submerged in mud and pebbles while tress were uprooted causing much hardship to the villagers.

The heavy torrent rains and flood that occurred during the past few days completely cut off the middle-east Senapati from the rest of the world. Furthermore the villagers who depend on agriculture as their main source of livelihood have been reeling under severe condition since their paddy field has been damaged by flood and landslide.

Maikho, village chairman Sorbung said that it is the first time and they have not come across such type of rainfall and flood since very long time.

The owners of the field were so worried that they neither want to see nor go to the paddy field to check the damages. Those affected by the deadly flash flood could lose their livelihood as they depend heavily on rice cultivation for sustenance. 

 Most of the people depend on agriculture for their livelihood and also for their children’s education by selling rice. Further they said that no one is there to take care of the villagers and appealed to the state authorities to look into the matter urgently.

Ngatan village has 157 households with a population of 800 people as per 2011 census and 70 km away from Senapati district headquarter. Kaping, chairman of Ngatan village said that around 80 percent of the field and 70 hectors of paddy field of 50 families were damaged.

Here also standing crops were submerged in mud and pebbles while tress and posts were uprooted causing much hardship to the villagers.

It will take years to get the affected paddy fields back to where they were before the flood hit the village, said one local. The devastation has left many villagers heart-broken and some feared that poverty awaits them in the coming years, he added.

A team comprising of media-persons visited the affected sites. The destruction caused by the flash flood has been unprecedented.