Fresh rainfall triggers floods, landslides in several Arunachal districts

Itanagar, Jul 7 (PTI) Fresh spells of heavy rain triggered flash floods and landslides in several districts of Arunachal Pradesh, where more than 94,000 people in 26 districts have been affected so far during the ongoing monsoon season, officials said on Tuesday. According to a report from the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) here, Changlang district experienced heavy rainfall, a landslide and flooding, while Upper Subansiri recorded two flood incidents and three landslides, and Upper Siang witnessed 16 landslides in the past 24 hours. A rockfall incident due to incessant rain was also reported from East Kameng. Four people have died, 21 others suffered injuries and two women went missing in the recent wave of floods in the northeastern state, it said. One person died in a landslide at Sarti village in Anjaw district on June 28, and three other deaths occurred in a flash flood that struck Possa in Keyi Panyor district, the officials said. Rescue and relief efforts are continuing in the affected districts. The report said 94,201 people have been impacted across 333 villages in 237 circles spread over 26 districts. Upper Siang continues to account for the highest number of affected people, followed by Siang and Kra Daadi. The floods and landslides have caused extensive damage to agriculture and public infrastructure. A total of 334.2 hectares of crop area has been affected, including 185.5 hectares under horticulture and 148.7 hectares under agriculture, while 1,010 hectares of forest area have also been impacted, the report said. Infrastructure losses have mounted with damage reported to 131 roads, 19 bridges, 21 culverts, 191 water supply systems, 58 government buildings, 21 power lines, 224 electric poles, four hydel projects, seven flood protection walls, two hospitals and three schools, it said. Hundreds of houses have also been damaged in different parts of the state. Two relief camps continue to operate in Keyi Panyor, where 252 people are currently taking shelter, according to the report. Teams of the NDRF, SDRF, Army, Air Force and state agencies have been deployed to assist the rescue and relief operations. Meanwhile, the IMD on Tuesday said rainfall activity is likely to remain active in Arunachal Pradesh in the next few days. An alert has been issued for Wednesday in Lohit, Changlang and Tirap districts, indicating the likelihood of heavy to very heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning. On Thursday, heavy rainfall is expected to continue in Lower Dibang Valley, Namsai and Tirap, it said in a bulletin. Rainfall activity is expected to intensify further on Friday, with alerts issued for Upper Subansiri, Lower Siang, Lower Dibang Valley, Namsai, Tirap and Longding. The forecast suggests a gradual improvement on Saturday, although isolated heavy rain is still likely over parts of eastern Arunachal Pradesh, while no major weather warning has been issued for most western districts. PTI UPL RBT