Mizoram’s Lunglei grapples with severe water crisis amid prolonged dry spell

Lunglei, the second-largest town in Mizoram after Aizawl, is facing an escalating water crisis as its key water sources continue to dry up due to an unusually prolonged dry season, officials said on Tuesday.

Superintending Engineer of the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department, Zohmingliana, said the town of approximately 80,000 residents has been experiencing acute water shortages since early March. The situation worsened significantly in April as the Tlawng River — Lunglei’s primary water source — began drying up rapidly in the absence of rainfall.

Another major source, the Pialthleng stream, has completely dried up, further compounding the crisis.

“There has been no rainfall since January, which is the main reason behind the current shortage,” an official added.

While the town requires 3.5 million liters of water per day (MLD), only 1.5 MLD is currently being drawn from the Tlawng River. Pumping hours have dropped to 9–13 hours daily, compared to the usual 24 hours during normal conditions, Zohmingliana noted.

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In response, residents have turned to alternative sources such as borewells, nearby streams, rivers, and traditional waterholes known locally as ‘Tuikhur’ — with over 90 such sources in and around the town currently in use.

“The government is making extensive efforts to mitigate the crisis,” Zohmingliana said, noting that water is now being transported from streams via vehicles to supplement the supply. “However, if rains do not arrive soon, the situation may worsen further in the coming days.”

To ensure water safety, Tuikhur sources are being chlorinated where possible, and bleaching powder is being distributed to private suppliers for disinfection.

Currently, Lunglei and surrounding areas have over 16,000 tap connections. However, residents report that government-distributed water now reaches households only once a month — a steep decline from the previous cycle of 7 to 12 days. Additionally, people often have to wait up to three days to purchase water from private suppliers.

Efforts are underway to construct a concrete gravity dam on the Tlawng River, which officials hope will help prevent such shortages in the future. “If the dam is completed on schedule, we can avoid facing such a severe crisis next year,” Zohmingliana added.