ITANAGAR : Fresh floods and landslides have been reported from East Siang and Kamle districts of Arunachal Pradesh, with the IMD forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall on Sunday in parts of the state, officials said.
According to the State Disaster Management Department’s daily report on Saturday evening, East Siang and Kamle witnessed fresh rain-triggered floods and landslides during the past 24 hours.
In Lower Dibang Valley district, some workers were reportedly stranded at Diphu Nallah under Koronu circle on Saturday, after the water level rose, it said.
Rescue teams from the district police and the SDRF attempted to reach them, but were forced to suspend the operation due to strong currents. The rescue operation is scheduled to resume on Sunday, the report said.
The ongoing spell of floods and landslides has so far claimed seven lives in the northeastern state, injured 29 people and affected 1,49,257 others, officials said.
A total of 26 districts, 328 circles and 576 villages have been affected by the monsoon fury, they said.
In East Siang district, flash floods affected five circles, covering 25 villages in the last 24 hours, while in Kamle, floods and landslides lashed Raga and Dollungmukh circles, impacting five villages, according to the report.
Upper Siang continues to be the worst-affected district with 49,523 people impacted so far, followed by East Siang (35,500), Siang (25,365), Kra Daadi (13,731), Upper Subansiri (9,550), East Kameng (6,786), Namsai (2,657) and Anjaw (1,011), it said.
Around 806 houses have been damaged across the state in the ongoing monsoon deluge, the officials said.
The cumulative loss to agriculture and horticulture has risen to 733.36 hectares, comprising 312.86 hectares of agricultural land and 420.5 hectares of horticulture plantations, they said.
Impact to infrastructure also remained extensive, with 192 roads, 32 bridges, 30 culverts, 265 water supply facilities, 156 power lines and 224 electric poles damaged.
Government buildings, schools, hostels, hospitals, retaining walls, flood protection structures, drainage systems and other public assets have also suffered damage, the report added.
Meanwhile, the IMD forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places across Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday.
An alert has been issued for Papum Pare and East Kameng districts, where very heavy rainfall of 12-20 cm is likely at some places, while Anjaw is expected to receive heavy rainfall of 6-11 cm.
The weather office has warned that the continuing rain may trigger localised flooding, waterlogging, landslides, traffic disruptions and damage to vulnerable infrastructure. It also cautioned against overflowing rivers and streams, inundation of agricultural fields, and accidents caused by slippery roads and submerged stretches.
Authorities have intensified preparedness measures, with round-the-clock monitoring, coordination and emergency response, the officials said.
Public advisories have been issued, urging residents to remain vigilant, avoid non-essential travel and strictly follow instructions issued by the district administration, they added. (Source: PTI)
