Flood situation in Arunachal worsens, over 1 lakh affected
The flood situation in Arunachal Pradesh worsened on Wednesday, with 26 of the State’s 28 districts affected and the number of people hit by the deluge crossing one lakh, an official bulletin said.
The rain-triggered floods and landslides have so far claimed seven lives and injured 29 people across the State, said the bulletin issued by the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).
Upper Subansiri, Upper Siang, Kra Daadi, Kamle and Papum Pare were the districts that reported fresh flood and landslide incidents over the last 24 hours.
In Upper Subansiri, floods and landslides affected Limeking, Nacho, Siyum and Daporijo circles.
Upper Siang reported fresh damage in Mariyang, Yingkiong, Palling and Jengging circles. Fresh incidents were also reported from Tali circle in Kra Daadi district, Raga circle in Kamle district and Kimin circle in Papum Pare district.
During the last 24 hours, Upper Subansiri recorded three flood incidents and three landslides, while Upper Siang witnessed 15 landslides, seven heavy rainfall incidents and four floods.
Kra Daadi reported two landslides, while Kamle and Papum Pare recorded one flood incident each.
The SEOC said 250 more people were affected in Upper Subansiri, taking the cumulative number of flood-hit people in the state to 1,03,167 across 306 circles and 485 villages.
Upper Siang remained the worst-affected district with 49,259 people impacted, followed by Siang (25,365), Kra Daadi (13,731), East Kameng (6,146), Upper Subansiri (3,467) and Namsai (2,657).
According to the bulletin, 622 houses have been damaged across the State, including 454 kutcha houses, 100 pucca houses, 44 huts and 24 other structures.
Among the fresh losses reported, a kutcha house was completely destroyed in Kra Daadi due to a landslide, while another was severely damaged in Kamle following flooding.
Infrastructure damage was also reported in several districts. In Upper Subansiri, floods damaged a bridge in Limeking circle, besides roads, a flood protection wall and a retaining wall at Rapenrijo, while landslides damaged roads in Rakmi and Jingmuri villages.
In Upper Siang, floods and landslides damaged retaining walls, water supply systems, flood protection structures and minor irrigation infrastructure at several locations.
Kra Daadi reported damage to two schools, a hostel and a boundary wall due to landslides, while floodwaters damaged a minor irrigation structure in Upper Sher village of Papum Pare district.
The cumulative damage to agriculture and horticulture has risen to 561.75 hectares, including 224 hectares of agricultural land and 337.75 hectares of horticulture plantations.
Meanwhile, the IMD has forecast thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and heavy to very heavy rainfall in parts of the state on Thursday, with isolated areas of Papum Pare likely to receive 12-20 cm of rainfall in 24 hours.
On Friday, East Kameng and Papum Pare districts are expected to receive very heavy rainfall, while Changlang is likely to witness heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning.
Weather conditions are expected to improve from Saturday, though East Kameng, Kurung Kumey, Papum Pare and Changlang will remain under a heavy rainfall alert.
By Sunday, only Papum Pare is expected to remain under watch for heavy rain, while no significant weather warning has been issued for Monday.
