A CORRESPONDENT
DIBRUGARH: Nilima Tayeng (42 years), of Janzimukh village in Dibrugarh, has been in fear and anxiety after floodwaters entered her home. The Buri Dehing river has been overflowing due to heavy rain in parts of Arunachal Pradesh.
The village consists of 99 families and 575 residents under Dibrugarh West revenue circle, falling under Moran Legislative Assembly constituency. Most of the families are using small country boats, locally called ‘Tulunga Naon,’ as the only way to cross the floodwater.
“Our village has been submerged. We have got relief materials, but it is not sufficient for our family. We urge the government to look after us and provide us relief materials,” said Nilima.
The situation in Janzimukh Gaon mirrors a much larger emergency across the district. Official figures show that 85 villages in Dibrugarh district have been affected by the recent floods, impacting 13,390 people, with 22 villages under Dibrugarh West revenue circle alone, including Janzimukh Gaon among the worst hit.
Several other families are enduring similar hardship in silence. Anima Panging, 56, is sheltering with her three sons and five family members while Jibanti Pangning, 42, is managing a household of six through the crisis.
“Every year floodwater submerges our village as we live near the Buri Dehing river. This year, the flood situation is harsher than before. We don’t know about our future because after the floodwater recedes, the erosion problem will start. We urge the government to take steps to secure our future,” said Mrinal Panging of Janzimukh village.
The village, home entirely to the Mising community, depends almost wholly on farming, but its fields now lie hidden under murky floodwater. Most families here live in traditional stilt houses known as Chang Ghars or Taleng Ukum, built on poles standing 8 to 12 feet tall, structures designed over generations to keep families safe during the seasonal flooding of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries.