A strong hailstorm hit many parts of Manipur on Thursday night leaving a
trail of destruction mostly in the four valley districts.
The hailstorm started from 7.30 p.m. and lasted till 10.30 p.m. Vast
areas of vegetables and fruit bearing trees were destroyed. The strong
wind also blew away roofs of houses. Reports are that some houses had
also been razed to ground. However there is no report of casualty.
Farmers said that the downpour came as a sigh of relief to them since
for months their fields have been parched. However, there was clear sky
from Friday morning. Since the rainfall was so scanty for the paddy and
vegetable fields they cannot carry on with their cultivation.
Meanwhile, government sources said that since the water level is
alarmingly low, supply of drinking water from different sources is
stopped. The government notice was announced on March 19. As a result,
there is a scarcity of potable water. Prices of bottled water were
increased. Besides, the private suppliers who have been selling river
water at Rs 100 per 500 litres have increased. What they supply is raw
water which is made look clear using alum.
Government sources said that if there is no rainfall in the coming days,
the state government will have to approach the union government for
declaring Manipur as a drought hit state. The fire fighting department
is also worried as there is no water to douse fire in case of accidental
fire in the residential areas.
