Climate Change Threatens Manipur with Water-Induced Disasters

New Delhi- According to a report by the Indian Meteorological Department, 2021 witnessed extremely dry and severely dry conditions in areas such as Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Sub Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir.

The report further states that the number of states affected by major floods has increased from eight in 2017 to 15 in 2021. The rising number of major floods is linked to the increasing frequency of heavy rainfall and flooding in some parts of India, including the penular, east, northeast, and some parts of central India.

The state-specific studies on the impacts of climate change in Manipur reveal that the state is vulnerable to water-induced disasters due to its location in the eastern Himalayan periphery, fragile geo-environmental setting, and economic under-development. The valley areas are frequently affected by flash floods, even after a short spell of rain, due to various reasons such as manmade ecological changes in the catchment areas, the high intensity of rainfall during the rainy season in the hilly areas.

These flash floods not only affect the agricultural lands and habitats but also the urban settlement areas during the rainy season. The damages caused by the floods include the breach of riverbund, overflowing, landslides, erosion, and depression of riverbanks at the vulnerable areas. The state government has taken various steps to mitigate the disaster risk due to the changes in the extreme weather patterns, including the development of Hazard Risk Vulnerability Assessment reports, State Disaster Management Plans, and State Disaster Management Force.