Nagaland floods: 2 districts completely cut off due to landslides

KOHIMA: Phek and Kiphire districts of Nagaland have been the worst affected by floods this year, with the latter completely cut off from all sides by landslides and the district administration finding it impossible to reach out to villagers stranded in remote areas.
Phek district administration has said they need Rs 416.06 lakh to repair infrastructural damages and Rs 281.34 lakh to rebuild the agricultural, animal husbandry and fisheries sector.
Photo: Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority
Both the district administrations presented reports of damages incurred to the five-member inter-ministerial central team, led by MHA joint secretary, KB Singh, before it left for New Delhi on Friday. These reports were made available to the media during a press briefing held by the central team in Kohima on Friday. Reports from other districts are yet to come, officials said.
Photo: Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority
Phek district's deputy commissioner, Orenthung, said the district administration and the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) have each contributed Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 for repairing completely damaged and partially damaged houses respectively.
Photo: Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority
Deputy commissioner and DDMA chairman of Kiphire, Md Ali Shihab, said district has been completely isolated due to landslides as the NH-202, which connects Kiphire to Kohima and Tuensang districts, has been cut off since July 29. Other important areas along the route, such as Meluri in Phek district and Yei bridge in Tuensang district, have also been severely affected.
Though the Meluri stretch has now been connected through a bypass road, it is not safe for heavy vehicles, while Yei bridge along Tuensang road remains cut off.
Photo: Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority
Supply of essential commodities from Dimapur has been severely affected and the district is facing an acute shortage of rice, he said. Kiphire district has around 110 villages and the DDMA is not able to reach out to most villages due to the bad weather condition and damaged roads, he added.
Shihab also sought immediate help from the Centre to repair the national highway and other roads so that relief can be extended to stranded villagers.