The death toll in the current wave of floods in Arunachal Pradesh has risen to seven after the body of a woman, who had gone missing along with another person, was recovered in Papum Pare district. Police on Thursday recovered the body of 43-year-old Taw Ajini from the Lichi area in the district. She was swept away in the flash flood at Possa in Keyi Panyor district on 24 June and had remained untraced despite continued search efforts.
One woman is still missing after the monsoon deluge struck the district. Two labourers from Bihar were killed, and four others injured after a rain-triggered landslide hit a construction site in Lohit district on Wednesday. Earlier, one person was killed in a landslide at Sarti village in Anjaw district on 28 June, while three others died in the flash flood at Possa in Keyi Panyor district.
Fresh floods and landslides were reported across three districts of the state, with houses, roads and crops damaged. The affected villages included Khellong and Pangma in West Kameng; Riamukhi, Tachiring, Baring, Nungnu, Esso, Ginglo, Maling, Kamsar, Kamda, Dupit, Ayeng, Rigia and Duchok in Upper Subansiri; and Khonsa town in Tirap. At least 94,201 people have been affected across 333 villages in 237 circles spread over 26 districts, with floods and landslides causing 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. Infrastructure losses include damage to 131 roads, 19 bridges, 21 culverts, 191 water supply systems, 58 government buildings, 21 power lines, 224 electric poles, four hydel projects, seven retaining walls, seven flood protection walls, two hospitals and three schools, besides drainage networks and other public assets. Hundreds of houses have also been damaged across the state.
Four relief camps continue to operate in Keyi Panyor, where 252 people are currently taking shelter. Rescue and relief operations are continuing in the affected districts. The India Meteorological Department has forecast further rainfall across the state till Tuesday, with an orange alert (be prepared) issued for East Kameng on Friday, warning of heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning.
A yellow alert (be aware) has been issued for West Kameng, Tawang, Lower Subansiri, Papum Pare, East Siang and Tirap on Friday. On Saturday, a yellow alert has been issued for Tawang, East Kameng, Pakke-Kessang, Papum Pare, Lower Subansiri, West Siang, Siang, Lower Dibang Valley, Lohit, Anjaw and Longding. On Sunday, yellow alert conditions are expected to persist over Tawang, East Kameng, Pakke-Kessang, Papum Pare, Lower Subansiri, Lower Siang, West Siang, Siang, Lower Dibang Valley, Lohit, Anjaw, Namsai, Changlang and Longding.
The IMD has forecast a further improvement in weather conditions on Monday, with yellow alerts confined to Tawang, West Kameng, East Kameng, Pakke-Kessang, Papum Pare, Lower Subansiri, Lower Siang, West Siang, Siang, Namsai, Changlang and Longding. On Tuesday, isolated heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning is likely over West Kameng, Tawang, East Kameng, Pakke-Kessang, Papum Pare, Lower Subansiri, Lower Siang, West Siang, Siang, Upper Siang, Dibang Valley, Lower Dibang Valley, Lohit, Anjaw, Changlang and Longding.
