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Our Correspondent
Mokokchung, April 20 (EMN): Torrential rains accompanied by hailstorm damaged vast swathes of recently sowed crops, and houses at Sungratsu, Mopungchuket and Chungtia villages in Mokokchung district on the night of April 19.
The incessant rain combined with over 30 minutes of continuous hailstorm at around 8 pm devastated large areas of newly sowed crops and destroyed many houses in the village, said the secretary of Sungratsu village council, Imnakumzuk Aier.
He informed that the hailstones pierced many houses with corrugated galvanised iron (CGI) roofing and some of the houses were ‘beyond repair when inspected’.
Apart from 14 houses that were destroyed by the hailstorm, Aier said the village had 800 plus household whose economy were mostly dependent on colocasia (taro) cultivation for making anishi (an Ao-Naga delicacy of fermented colocasia leaves made into patties and smoked over the fire, or sun-dried).
‘This year, about 120 acres of land were cultivated by the villagers but the recently sown seeds were all damaged by the hailstorm; it will be a hard year for the farmers as they are in distress,’ said Aier.
A member of Chungtia village council, Bendangtemsu reported that houses, rubber plantations and farms crops were destroyed within the village jurisdiction. He added that cucumber farmers were the most affected since the primary contributor to its village economy was the production of cucumber.
He said that around 200 households in the village were engaged in cucumber cultivation and each household produce around 1000 kg per year. However, the recent hailstorm has destroyed everything in its path.
The chairman of Mopungchuket village council, Lipok also informed that the downpour had destroyed around 17 houses and recently sowed crops in the fields were badly affected.
The Extra Assistant Commissioner (EAC) of Kubolong reported that many CGI roofing houses were damaged at Süngratsü and Mopungchuket. He added that 14 houses were severely damaged and 15 houses were partially damaged by the hailstorm in the villages. However, no injuries or casualties were reported.
Approximate worth of crops and houses destroyed could not be ascertained till the filing of this report.