Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh: The grim toll from incessant rains, floods, and landslides in Arunachal Pradesh has climbed to 11, with the latest casualty being a 38-year-old labourer, Bhaben Murmu, who tragically lost his life in a wall collapse in Anjaw district on June 1. The State Emergency Operations Centre confirmed the incident, which also left three GREF workers injured.
The relentless monsoon fury has cast a wide net of destruction across the state, affecting a staggering 938 individuals residing in 156 villages spread across 23 districts. Lower Subansiri district bears the brunt of nature’s wrath, reporting extensive damage to 114 kutcha houses, 45 pucca houses, and nine huts. Essential infrastructure has also taken a severe hit, with 51 roads, 17 power lines, 23 water pipelines, and two schools severely impacted.
Beyond Lower Subansiri, critical assets have been compromised in various regions. The Itanagar Capital Region’s main water pipeline and the road at Dariya Hill in Pakke Kessang have succumbed to floodwaters. Several other districts, including West Kameng, Kamle, Papum Pare, Dibang Valley, Lohit, Changlang, and Kra Daadi, are grappling with swollen rivers that continue to flow dangerously above their stipulated levels.
The agricultural sector has not been spared from the widespread devastation. Preliminary reports indicate that 15 hectares of crop fields, eight hectares of horticultural plantations, and seven hectares of farmland have been destroyed. In Changlang district, the fury of flash floods from the Buri-Dihing River led to the partial collapse of the Makantong bridge, effectively severing the vital Miao-Bordumsa road along the Trans-Arunachal Highway.
Popular tourist destinations like Zupra and River Cafe are now submerged under the relentless floodwaters. The Industrial Training Institute (ITI) at Balinong in Kharsang circle has suffered colossal infrastructure loss, while the rampant erosion by the Noa-Dehing River has laid waste to vast tracts of farmlands in Namphai circle.
Residents of Upper Subansiri are grappling with a severe disruption in water supply after the Hangkar pipeline experienced multiple breaches. Emergency water is currently being supplied via tankers as Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) teams tirelessly work to restore normalcy.
In a proactive move, a relief camp has been established at Alubari Government Secondary School in Namsai district, providing shelter to 59 displaced individuals. So far, rescue teams have successfully brought 18 people to safety, including 14 labourers airlifted from Lower Dibang Valley and four others from Jallukbari village in Lohit. State Disaster Management Secretary Dani Sulu affirmed that comprehensive rescue and relief operations are in full swing across the affected areas.
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