Kohima: A massive July 19 landslide wiped out the Noklak to Tsuwao and Lengnyu road. Nine villages are now cut off from the district headquarters. The damage blocked the Panso Circle link, forcing residents to navigate broken terrain on foot or risky two-wheelers. Vehicular traffic stopped completely.
Villagers suffer in silence. A youth from Lengnyu noted the lack of medical access and the danger to vulnerable residents. "We are habituated traveling on foot. But In this season many people fall ill or meet an accident, and there is no proper medical facilities available in the village, so reaching the hospital become extremely hard and challenging," he said. The isolation has already proven fatal. One woman in Tsuwao died while waiting for transport that could not reach her home.
Food supplies are drying up. Lengnyu now has only four of its original five shops open, while Tsuwao is down to three. Basic items like sugar, salt, soap, and tea are increasingly difficult to find. Local families rely on field produce to survive. One mother of nine regularly walks three to four hours to reach Noklak, often returning on foot with nothing but salt.
The DDMA and the Department of Food and Civil Supply recently organized emergency rice transport to assist. Medical teams reached Lengnyu by motorcycle after abandoning their vehicles, meeting villagers who walked halfway to help. While emergency crews repaired parts of the Noklak to Panso road from July 22 to July 24, major sections remain impassable for standard vehicles. Residents continue to wait for a permanent fix to the seven-kilometer stretch that currently dictates their survival.
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