Monsoon fury batters Arunachal, 12 districts affected

Authorities warned of possible danger to downstream areas and deployed police personnel to alert riverside residents to move to safer locations.

Itanagar: Heavy monsoon rains continued to wreak havoc across Arunachal Pradesh on Monday, June 29, disrupting normal life in at least 12 districts as floods and landslides damaged infrastructure, cut off villages and triggered large-scale rescue operations, officials said.

In Lower Dibang Valley district, four people stranded on an island in Sisiri River in Dambuk were rescued by an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter.

Heavy rainfall has also severely damaged the Roing-Anini road in Lower Dibang Valley district, with flash floods washing away roads and bridges at several locations.

In Anjaw district, an excavator operator was feared dead after a massive rock crushed the vehicle engaged in highway construction near Sarti village on Sunday night.

Rescue operations were suspended overnight due to poor visibility and the risk of further rockfalls before resuming early Monday.

Police from the Walong Outpost and Hawai police station are assisting in the operation, while the affected road has been closed to traffic until debris clearance is completed.

The operator’s condition was yet to be officially confirmed.

In East Siang, eight major road stretches remained blocked, leaving Yagrung, Tekang and Sibut villages cut off from Pasighat.

A cloudburst triggered flash floods in Ledum and Korang villages under Ruksin subdivision, damaging 11 houses, submerging three others and causing the collapse of the Rema Bridge, besides damaging the Bokrang Bridge, officials said.

Rescue teams comprising the SDRF, district administration and local volunteers rescued 40 people from flood-hit areas and shifted affected families to safer locations.

The district administration has activated relief camps and emergency operation centres, mobilised multiple agencies for restoration work and ordered the closure of all schools till Tuesday in view of the IMD’s red alert.

Of the 11 major roads hit, only two have been reopened, while nine, including the Pasighat-Pangin, Pasighat-Mariyang-Yingkiong, Pasighat-Mebo-Dambuk-Bomjir, Bilat-Ledum and Pasighat-Yagrung-Ledum-Tene roads, remain blocked or unsafe.

The left-side approach to Letong Bridge on the Pasighat-Runne-Takilalung road has been washed away, while roads near Balek Secondary School, Ranaghat Bridge and the Poglek River crossing remain impassable, an official report said.

Floodwaters also inundated at least 10 houses in Ledum after the river changed its course due to continuous rainfall.

One house was almost completely submerged, two cattle were swept away, while a community toilet and a rice mill were on the verge of submergence. Three shops were also damaged.

Around 12 families were shifted to safer places, with the displaced taking shelter at relatives’ houses, while a community Dere (prayer hall) has been designated as a relief shelter.

No casualties or missing persons have been reported, though a vital bridge collapsed, disrupting connectivity.

In Lower Siang district, a massive landslide at Siji blocked the flow of Siji River near Likabali checkpost between Siji and Magi, causing water to accumulate upstream.

A biker had a miraculous escape after being swept down a slope along with his motorcycle when a landslide struck the area, officials said.

Authorities warned of possible danger to downstream areas and deployed police personnel to alert riverside residents to move to safer locations.

Officials later said the river resumed its normal flow on Monday morning after the ponded water receded.

Leparada district also witnessed widespread damage as flash floods, overflowing rivers and landslides affected several areas.

Chisi and Padi villages in Dari circle were among the worst hit, with floodwaters carrying boulders, logs and debris onto roads, severely disrupting traffic.

Landslides blocked roads at Jime village and along the Zirdo-Dari stretch, while the swollen Ego River inundated the Ego Bridge.

In Basar circle, Kidi River flowed above the danger level, flooding nearby paddy fields and posing a threat to riverside houses.

Landslides were also reported in Sago circle due to road cutting and poor drainage, while Tirbin circle reported only minor damage.

Three bodies retrieved, five missing

Meanwhile, search operations entered the sixth day on Monday for two persons still missing in the flash flood that struck Keyi Panyor district last Wednesday.

The death toll rose to three after the body of Saurabh Kumar Kharwar was recovered near Hawa Camp in adjoining Papum Pare district on Sunday.

Earlier, the bodies of a 35-year-old woman and another woman were recovered on Wednesday and Saturday, respectively.

Five people had gone missing after the flash flood devastated the NEEPCO colony at Poosa, damaging houses, roads and triggering landslides. Preliminary estimates indicate that around 30 houses were completely damaged or washed away in the colony, while another 10 houses were destroyed and 14 partially damaged in the Possa and Pitapool areas.

Altogether, 128 households have been affected, with 60 displaced people currently staying at a relief camp on the NEEPCO campus.

According to officials, the rain fury has so far affected Keyi Panyor, Papum Pare, Kra Daadi, Kurung Kumey, Lower Subansiri, Kamle, Upper Subansiri, East Siang, Leparada, Lower Siang, Lower Dibang Valley and Anjaw districts.

Relief and rescue operations have been intensified across the affected areas.