Emergency in Phek & Kiphire: Rains bring death and destruction

• One believed dead; two injured
• Thewati villagers trapped in flooded village
• Phek admin appeals for geological survey after unusual sound
• Bridge, roads, & crops fall to Mother Nature

EMN
Dimapur, August 1

Heavy rainfall has brought death and destruction in several villages in Phek and Kiphire district during the past couple of days leaving one person believed dead while a huge number of concrete bridges, roads and fields have been either swept away or extensively damaged.
Also, villagers of Thewati village under Meluri sub-division of Phek district are reported to be trapped between five overflowing rivers (Khayowti, Lüyakti, Yowthriti, and Lüyakti and Zezüti rivers between Shilloi and Laruri) as main bridges have reportedly been swept away.
Amid the havoc, villagers in Meluri have also reported to have abandoned the area following an unusual sound under the land that the district administration and village authorities have described as being similar to the thunderous roar of an airplane and accompanied by tremors and the smell of gas similar to gunpowder from under the ground.
Reports coming in on Saturday, August 1, from various sources including administrative agencies and village authorities appear to confirm that mud-flow, landslides, and sinking of the village areas have swept away village lands, vital connectivity infrastructure and crops.
Likewise, a 23 year old man, the son of a pastor, is reported to have been swept away, various new sources informed on Saturday.
Administration seeks scientists’ help in tracing unidentified sound
Following untraced and unidentified sound described to be similar to the roar of an airplane coming from the land, the district administration of Phek district has issued an urgent appeal to the commissioner of Nagaland to immediately undertake “geological examination.” The land the sound and ‘shaking’ land has been reported to originate is in the areas of Thewati village in Meluri subdivision of Phek district.
District deputy commissioner of Phek Murohu Chotso issued a press release on Saturday stating that an unidentified loud roar is being heard in the stated area.
“On account of the heavy rainfall, there were occurrences of land slide, mud flow, sinking, etc. even the village site was shaking and the villagers could hear a very peculiar and dreaded sound at the village and the whole site of the village was badly affected . Therefore the whole villagers have already ran away from home abandoning their properties to Old Thewati village for life security,” the district administrator stated.
Unless the location is scientifically proven by geologists to be safe, the villagers cannot live peacefully in their own village any further, the deputy commissioner stated.
‘In this case, a geological examination of the village site is immediately required and accordingly, it is to request your kind authority to depute some of your geologist/scientist to examine the site at the earliest please’, the district’s appeal stated.
The administration said that new Thewati village under Phokhungri area of Meluri sub-division had been “facing a very dangerous situation due to mud-flow, land slide, and sinking of the village site on account of continuous heavy rainfall”.
“Therefore, it is to request your kind authority to depute some of the Geologist to examine the case at the earliest,” the administration added.
Pochury Hoho recounts destruction in Phek
The Pochury Hoho has offered updates to the media concerning the reported calamity in Phek. The organization issued a message on Saturday. According to the tribal organization, new Thewati village was hit by an “abnormally protuberance of monsoon water” on July 31. The downpour has swept away five bridges including an Iron bridge and two wooden bridges, and a concrete slate bridges.
Also, ‘…a young man of 23 years of age, one Jacob, son of Paratsü, an ex-pastor, have been swept away, while two men have been injured. The lower khel of the village have been flooded by the water. Out of fear, the villagers moved up to the upper khel,’ the organization stated.
“The villagers are now trapped between five overflowing rivers (Khayowti, Lüyakti, Yowthriti, and Lüyakti and Zezüti rivers between Shilloi and Laruri). All the bridges have been swept away. The villagers cannot cross to other sides due to swamp-like in and around their houses due to this unexpected flood – neither to Phokhungri side nor towards Meluri side,” the message read.
Mysterious sound, tremors, gas under land;
villagers trapped
The organization has narrated the mysterious sound as well. “To add their misery and helplessness, the villagers are frightened by the sound like that of an aeroplane from below the ground, at same time producing a gas with a smell like that of gun powder,” the Pochury community organization stated.
The panicked villagers want to vacate the village to other safety places but cannot “go to anywhere as there is no other ways and means to pass through these rivers. The villagers are virtually trapped with nowhere to go,” the organization said.
The Pochury Hoho has appealed to the authorities in concern including the disaster management agencies and the district administration to immediately rescue the people of the said area.
“Any further delay will jeopardize the lives of people not only new Thewati but the old Thewati villagers as well due to want of basic necessities and suspected poisonous gas that gush out from below.
The Pochury community has also appealed to the neighboring villages to render their services in helping the villagers as well as “reconstruct the damaged/destroyed bridges to enable the people to pass through to either sides at the earliest”.
Crops, bridges and roads swept away in Kiphire: Reports
Elsewhere in the state, the district of Kiphire has also reported that heavy rains have destroyed crops, culverts, bridges and fishery pond and roads, especially in the areas of Huhdanger village in the district. The Village Council of Huhdanger and Village Development Board authorities issued a message to the media on Saturday informing about the reported destruction.
“On 20th July 2015, nine terrace fields, three fishery ponds and three major bridges of fields has been affected and had left behind deserted due to flood caused by incessant rain where hopes and hard works of the said villagers had washed away and completely destroyed. It had happened once in 1983 and we are facing the same again after 32 years,” the village’s authorities stated in the note.
“Due to incessant raining, the heavy flood has come from Hurong River, Kekhip-Yung and a combination of many small rivers has overflowed the fields and even some of the jhum cultivation has affected”.
Further, in the words of the village, many road culverts and roadsides between Kichang-via-Huronger to Huhdanger “has drowned away and damage due to the heavy rain, where the general public are facing the untold problems where road is considered as the life line of all living without which, one’s society and living is paralyzed”.
The village’s authorities have appealed to the departments and agencies of the district, administrators, and road construction entities to visit the area and “enhance the possibility of the well-being of the general public”.
The village council has estimated that the area of cultivated land damaged by the rains to be approximately 88 acres and at around 10 lakh in terms of money, not including infrastructure such as roads, culverts or bridges.
“99% of the villagers are depending and survive with the help of fields. Agriculture is the main stay and livelihood for the villagers,” the message read. The village is located in one of the district’s most remote areas, at least 41 kilometers away from the district headquarter of Kiphire, the village council added.
Citizens’ Factfile: About New Thewati Village
New Thewati is small village located in Phokhungri Circle of Phek district, Nagaland with total 109 families residing. The New Thewati village has population of 457 of which 228 are males while 229 are females as per Population Census 2011.
In New Thewati village population of children with age 0-6 is 108 which makes up 23.63 % of total population of village. Average Sex Ratio of New Thewati village is 1004 which is higher than Nagaland state average of 931. Child Sex Ratio for the New Thewati as per census is 1038, higher than Nagaland average of 943.
New Thewati village has lower literacy rate compared to Nagaland. In 2011, literacy rate of New Thewati village was 29.23 % compared to 79.55 % of Nagaland. In New Thewati Male literacy stands at 33.71 % while female literacy rate was 24.71 %.
As per constitution of India and Panchyati Raaj Act, New Thewati village is administrated by Sarpanch (Head of Village) who is elected representative of village.