MAO, July 26 ? The devastating landslide at Phikomai, Mao Gate on the National Highway-39, that rendered hundreds homeless, damaged 70 houses and large areas of paddy fields, is still sinking at least one meter a day. Already the areas had sunk 25 meters from the original road till yesterday. The slide started from July 10 onwards and hundreds of Imphal-bound laden trucks were stranded since then and only on Sunday at about 10 p.m., the road was opened and they could reach Imphal early morning next day.
The BRTF labourers have worked day and night in the affected areas for the last couple of days just to open the road for vehicular movement, though the area is still in precarious condition and sinking one meter daily.
?If there is slight rain, the larger threat will be there because sinking hasn?t stopped till now,? PS Mahmadhan, AE (C), officer in-charge of 89 RCC (GREF), who is looking after the road construction of the affected areas said. According to BRTF sources, two senior geologists had come from Shillong yesterday and inspected the soil conditions of the landslide affected areas. It also said no durable road condition was guaranteed in the areas because of the soil conditions. Sources also disclosed that the authorities are contemplating to make a new road diversion starting from Khuzama of Nagaland to come over the whole Mao mountain range and finally to Maram. From Mao Gate to Tadubi, there are still two major landslide-prone areas including Phikomai which has recently sunk. Once the new road diversion is done, there will unlikely be any such foreseeable threat (land slide), the sources pointed out.
The BRTF official also advised the villagers to avoid construction of concrete buildings in the landslide prone areas. All the buildings should be constructed with consultations of geologists, he stated. Villagers informed that many affected people are now in the relief camps while others are with their relatives in nearby villages. ?The elders of the villagers are planning to buy a land in nearby areas with the contributions of public money and the Government to shift the Phikomai villagers as rebuilding of the damaged Phikomai is not possible again,? said Angela Ashiphro, a teacher in Mao Don Bosco School which was also completely damaged by the current Phikomai landslides.