Our Correspondent
Itanagar: Incessant rain triggered flash floods in Keyi Panyor district of Arunachal Pradesh on Wednesday morning, inundating low-lying areas and damaging 18 residential houses, while landslides on a national highway disrupted vehicular movement and left several people stranded, an official said.
Five people went missing after flash floods hit the NEEPCO project colony near Poosa under the Yazali circle, state disaster management secretary Dani Sulu said.
The missing individuals have been identified as Elesh Marak (13), Balari Marak (30), Tao Anjina (46), Nirmala Gupta (35), and Sourav Kumar. Search and rescue operations are going on.
District Police and SDRF personnel have rescued one Bishu Sinha from the Yazali reservoir, while a scientist from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) was rescued from the national highway stretch, police said.
As many as 17 persons also sustained injuries including three in critical conditions, the secretary said adding, the critically injured persons were evacuated to Ziro in Lower Subansiri district.
An under-construction retaining wall collapsed due to the downpour, and a large amount of water inundated low-lying residential areas in and around the colony, he said.
"At least 18 residential units were damaged, and three persons were reportedly missing," he said.
The administration directed the additional deputy commissioner, the deputy superintendent of police and the circle officer to rush to the affected site for assessment and coordination of rescue operations.
"A team of SDRF has been deployed, while the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been alerted and is moving towards the area to assist in relief and rescue efforts," Sulu said.
All available reserve personnel and vehicles have been mobilised within the Yazali jurisdiction, and ex-servicemen have also been called in to support emergency operations, he said.
The North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (Neepco) has started releasing water from the Panyor Lower hydro project dam as a precautionary measure, while power generation at the project has been temporarily suspended, he said.
The heavy rainfall also disrupted road connectivity in the district, with three stretches of the highway near Potin and Hoj blocked due to landslides, while several people were stranded there, the secretary said.
As many as six districts of the state have been cut off due to monsoon-related disruptions triggered by heavy rainfall, Keyi Panyor superintendent of police (SP) Angad Mehta said in a statement.
The affected districts include Keyi Panyor, Kra Daadi, Kurung Kumey, Lower Subansiri, Kamle and Upper Subansiri.
The SP informed that major landslides occurred along the Kimin-Ziro route at km 15, km 21 and km 23, while a damage assessment is currently underway between km 30 and km 40.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has intensified restoration efforts, and connectivity through the Kimin route is expected to be restored by Thursday afternoon, Mehta said.
Landslides have also been reported on the Itanagar-Hoj-Yazali National Highway stretch.
The road connecting Mepsoro and the Hoj Highway Junction has been completely cut off due to massive landslides at several locations, disrupting vehicular movement along the route.
Restoration work is underway on a war footing. However, officials said it is too early to estimate the time required to clear the debris and reopen the road.
In view of the prevailing situation, travellers from East Kameng, Pakke Kessang, West Kameng and Tawang districts have been advised to avoid using the route until further notice.
Arunachal Pradesh has been experiencing heavy rain over the past several days, resulting in landslides, flash floods and damage to infrastructure across several districts.
Disaster management authorities have urged people living in vulnerable areas and on riverbanks to remain alert and avoid unnecessary travel.
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