Incessant rains, swollen rivers trigger floods in Arunachal

Incessant rains since the past one week has triggered floods in several districts of Arunachal Pradesh with major rivers including Siang in high spate affecting several villages.

With the mighty Siang flowing above the danger mark, several pockets of Pasighat in East Siang district are battling with a flood-like situation with low-lying areas such as Sibokorong-Siang confluence point, Komlighat and Raneghat getting inundated.

The flood situation in Mebo sub-division under East Siang district remained grim. The log bridge at Kadang has been washed away.

Surface communication along NH-52 has also been disrupted between Pasighat and Mebo as the approach of Siku bridge has been damaged badly by the overflowing river water.

East Siang Deputy Commissioner Nidhi Srivastava convened an emergency meeting at Pasighat yesterday, which was attended by SP Pushpendra Kumar and other departmental heads and discussed availability of relief materials and flood preparedness.

As a precautionary measure, the DC asked the people residing in low-lying areas adjacent to the river to be careful, and closely monitor on every development.She further cautioned people against boating or fishing in the river.

At the same time, she instructed the officers of disaster management department, Army of Rayang division, police, medical, food and civil supply, water and sanitation and also road and transport departments to be prepared for any eventuality.

A report from Tezu, the headquarters of Lohit district,said surface communication between Tezu and Tinsukia in Assam and Tezu to Hayuliang and Hawai was disrupted due to road blockade caused by rain-triggered massive mudslides at 5 km point from Tohangam along Tezu-Parsuram Kund road.

"This particular point remains prone to mudslides and is a hurdle for our labourers in clearing the road. This point is so risky that even our machineries find tough to work," said P K Gupta of Border Construction Company, Demwe.

"Putting their lives at risk, our personnel have been pressed into round-the-clock work to make the road through. But regrettably, we lost one M L Sharma, mechanic in-charge, who slipped yesterday and plunged into a deep gorge from the point and is still untraceable," he said.

He said that a team has been assigned to trace Sharma but inclement weather is not favouring rescue operation.

The point remained cut off most of the time and still the personnel deployed at the site made through for few hours only.

The situation may turn worse if rains continue.

Moreover, in the Alubari Ghat, people are not willing to ferry vehicles due to high spate of Lohit river and commuters are being ferried in country boats putting their lives at peril.

Flood water of Noa Dehing River had entered Dumpani and four other villages of Changlang district as the river has breached the wet rice cultivation and village protection bund.

At least 13,246 people of 11 villages have been affected by the current wave of flood.

Photograph: Parth Sanyal/Reuters