People wade through mud after the landslide on NH39 at Chumukedima on Saturday. (PTI)

Kohima, Aug. 14: A massive landslide at Chumukedima near Dimapur yesterday has kept Manipur and parts of Nagaland cut off for the second consecutive day today.

The landslide has blocked National Highway 39, the lifeline for Manipur and parts of Nagaland.

Hundreds of trucks carrying essential commodities are stranded at Chumukedima since yesterday morning despite the fact that the Border Roads Organisations (BRO) and Nagaland government were trying to clear the debris on a war footing.

Triggered by incessant rains, which have been lashing Nagaland for the past couple of weeks, the landslide has affected Kohima, Wokha, Phek and Kiphire districts in Nagaland as hundreds of trucks carrying essential commodities to these districts from Dimapur are stranded. But authorities have diverted light vehicles through other routes like Dimapur-Jalukie-Medziphema-Kohima and Dimapur-Niuland-10th mile-Kohima.

Thousands of passengers are also stranded at Chumukedima town.

Dimapur district authorities have deployed volunteers and administrative officers to oversee the cleanup so that NH39 could be cleared at the earliest.

The landslide has also affected power supply to some areas, including Peren district.

Because of the incessant rains, landslips have been occurring in several places across the state.

The government has requested people not to travel at night and has also restricted movement of overloaded trucks.

The public works department has been working round the clock to clear the landslide. But incessant rains are making its task difficult as mudslides continue to occur.

The Nagaland government has also requested the Manipur government to direct trucks bound for Manipur not to carry more than 10 tonnes while travelling over NH39.

The geology and mining department has taken up landslide zonation along NH39 and six districts in Nagaland —Zunheboto, Mokokchung, Phek, Wokha, Kohima and Dimapur — and according to the zonation report, these townships are prone to landslides and under threat by geo-hazards like earthquakes and water contamination, among others.

Director of the geology and mining department, H.K. Chishi, said the department, as a scientific agency to provide safe and comfortable highways, has made major contributions towards landslide studies along NH39 by using suitable remedial measures for landslide mitigation.

He said a detailed landslide inventory map, created using current data on landslides, was also generated for the first time to understand landslides better and suggest remedial measures.

He said the landslide hazard zonation project was started with an aim to create awareness among all agencies involved in the maintenance of NH39.

The director said the project and another — disaster management and mitigation using remote sensing and geographic information system — a case study of NH39 between Kohima and Dimapur — was funded under the state plan, with the directorate of geology and mining as the implementing agency.

Under the project, the department has already prepared a landslide inventory map by mapping 277 landslides, out of which 96 landslides are active, 35 inactive, 84 potential, 3 reactive, 47 suspended and 12 dormant.