By Imkong Walling
Flooding follows urbanisation like a shadow. Nature does not care, it pours when it has to, inundating the most well-planned cities. Disorganised cities fare worse, in particular, a haphazard urban agglomeration like Nagaland’s Dimapur, plagued by flooding and water-logging.
Monsoon or not, the haphazard nature of the townscape has largely been attributed as the major cause. Recent developments in the town have however added a new dimension to the flooding and water-logging problem.
In addition to the clogging, and blockading, of the deplorable drainage system that exists, the disappearance of small water-bodies, which once the dotted the landscape, is turning out to be a big concern, and one that has potential to exacerbate the situation.
The water-logging in Hazi Park — the famous electronics bazaar in Dimapur — that accompanied the downpour on April 28 would be a grim reminder of worse to come.
It garnered hardly any attention, overshadowed by a more visible flooding of roads, but what should be considered was the oddness of it. While Dimapur, its roads, and its low-lying areas are not new to flooding, water-logging in a fairly elevated built-up area was rather unusual, if not inevitable.
To go down memory lane, Hazi Park was a real park, with a pond, owned by the Hazi family. As the story went, the erstwhile Dimapur Town Council served as the park’s caretaker.
Over time, buildings sprang up on the real estate around the pond, taking the shape of a market, while the pond was forgotten, gradually turning into a garbage dump.
Not long ago, the water was drained and the once beautiful pond filled up with earth. The resulting terra firma turned into a prime built-up space. A boon for commerce in a bustling market, but it seems to have come at an environmental cost, at the same time, sending city planning for a toss.
While clogged drains cannot be ruled out, rainwater runoff which once drained into the pond had to find ways and means. Common sense tells that concrete comes in the way of water seeping into the ground.
The missing pond at Hazi Park is just one of many small water bodies getting gradually erased by urbanisation and neglect alike. The filling up of the pond near the East Police Station and the drying up of the Padum Pukhuri, a relic of Dimapur’s ancient past, are other sad examples.
It has implications in the natural water cycle as well. According to science, ponds and more importantly, naturally occurring swamps, or wetlands, act as catchment areas for rainwater to seep underground. By extension, it replenishes the aquifers, which serves as the main source of potable water in a place with no public running water system.
The writer is a Principal Correspondent at The Morung Express. Comments can be sent to imkongwalls@gmail.com
