Arunachal flood toll rises to 12; over 33,000 affected across 24 districts

Itanagar, June 5: The flood situation in Arunachal Pradesh remained grim on Thursday as incessant rainfall continued, affecting over 33,000 people in 24 districts of the state.

At least 12 people have lost their lives due to landslides and floods triggered by monsoon rain this year, while search operations are underway for a missing person, a report from the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) said.

Of the fatalities due to landslides and flood-related incidents, seven were reported from East Kameng, two from Lower Subansiri and one each from Longding, Lohit, and Anjaw districts.

Nine of the deceased lost their lives due to landslides, one in a flood-related incident, another due to a wall collapse, and a person was killed in May after a tree fell on him during inclement weather conditions in Longding district, the officials said.

As many as 214 villages across various districts with a total population of 33,200 were affected due to flood and landslides, while most of the major rivers and their tributaries are in high spate but flowing below the normal level, the report said.

Altogether, 481 houses were damaged across the state, and 432 livestock deaths were reported, including 335 poultry and 97 animals so far.

Fresh landslides and flood-like situations were reported from various districts in the past 24 hours, officials said.

In the Itanagar Capital Region, landslides damaged pipelines in the Poma water supply project, triggering a drinking water crisis among the capital denizens. Officials informed that the restoration process would take about ten days.

However, the department would press water tankers to supply water to the people, they said. The authorities have opened three relief camps, providing shelter to 239 displaced people, the officials said.

Changlang is the worst-affected district, with six villages inundated and 2,231 people rendered homeless. A total of 2,292 people have been evacuated so far, and 2,231 of them were from Changlang alone.

Flash floods washed away half of the Makantong bridge on the Trans-Arunachal Highway, cutting off road connectivity between Miao and Bordumsa.

The swollen Noa-Dehing River has caused damage to agricultural and horticultural fields in the Dharmapur block under the Namphai circle, the report said.

Additionally, floods and landslides damaged around 17 hectares of farmland and 20 hectares of horticulture plantations.

Relief and rescue efforts are underway with support from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), state police and volunteers.

PTI