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Itanagar: Four people have died while 21 others were injured and two remain missing as heavy rain, flash floods and landslides battered Arunachal Pradesh over the past seven days, causing widespread damage to houses, roads, bridges and public infrastructure, a report of the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) said on Tuesday.
According to the report, around 90,499 people in 251 villages under 202 circles of the northeastern state have been affected since June 24.
Upper Siang reported the highest number of affected people at around 47,357, followed by Siang (23,715), Kra Daadi (8,171) and East Kameng (5,895).
Of the four deaths reported during the week, three occurred in the flash flood that struck Possa in Keyi Panyor district on June 24, while one person died in a landslide at Sarti village in Anjaw district on June 28.
The report indicated that the Keyi Panyor disaster injured 21 people and left two women missing.
The monsoon fury has damaged 342 kutcha houses, 82 pucca houses, and 37 huts across the state. It also recorded the deaths of 130 poultry birds, 613 small animals and six large animals.
The monsoon fury has also caused extensive damage to infrastructure, with 80 roads, 12 bridges, 18 culverts, 147 water supply schemes, 21 power lines, 60 electric poles, seven flood protection walls, four hydropower projects, four government buildings and two hospitals affected.
Several roads in Keyi Panyor, Papum Pare, East Siang, Upper Siang, Pakke Kessang, Lower Dibang Valley and Kra Daadi remain blocked or are under restoration.
The report added that 1,010 hectares of forest area and 312.2 hectares of agricultural and horticultural land have been affected by the rain-related disasters. Rescue and relief operations are continuing with the deployment of the NDRF, SDRF, state police, Indian Air Force, civil aviation helicopters and local volunteers.
Stranded people have been rescued from Keyi Panyor and Lower Dibang Valley, while relief camps have been opened in the worst-hit areas.
Relief materials, including food grains, medicines and other essential supplies, are being distributed to affected families, the report added.
Officials today said that flash floods and landslides have affected 14 villages in Arunachal Pradesh's Lower Siang district.
District Information and Public Relations Officer (DIPRO) Augusti Jamoh said the disaster has extensively damaged wet rice cultivation fields, private properties and public infrastructure across the Nari-Koyu assembly constituency.
Road connectivity has been completely snapped in several villages, including Tabiripo Saku, Loglu, Rotte, Rame and Koyu Village, leaving nearly 500 households isolated. However, no loss of life or injuries has been reported so far, he said.
The district administration, in coordination with the Army, ITBP, BRO, state police and local volunteers, has launched relief operations and is working on a war footing to restore road connectivity, he added.
Kurung Kumey DIPRO David Koyu, a resident of the affected Rotte village, said a significant portion of the area was washed away, causing extensive damage to paddy fields, horticulture gardens and agricultural land, the primary source of livelihood for local residents.
Several vehicles were swept away in the deluge, while a large number of livestock, including pigs and poultry, were also lost, he said.
The disaster forced villagers to flee their homes and take shelter in nearby paddy huts, where many remained stranded. Koyu reported that a fire broke out during the chaos, destroying two houses while the occupants were away.
A comprehensive assessment of the damage is also being carried out to facilitate compensation and rehabilitation for the affected families, officials said.
Meanwhile, a two-member ministerial team deputed by the Centre comprising Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju to Arunachal Pradesh arrived on Tuesday to assess the flood situation and the widespread damage caused by incessant monsoon rains.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu accompanied the two ministers during an aerial and ground assessment of the flood-ravaged Keyi Panyor district on Tuesday afternoon.
Chouhan and Rijiju are slated to review the damage caused by the floods, assess the ongoing relief measures and interact with state officials to take stock of the rehabilitation efforts being undertaken in the affected areas, officials said.
Later, in a social media post, Khandu described the visit as a strong reflection of the Centre's commitment to stand by the people of Arunachal Pradesh during the crisis.
"Warmly welcomed Hon'ble Union Ministers Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan Ji and Shri Kiren Rijiju Ji on their visit to Arunachal to assess the flood situation and the damages caused by the recent calamity," Khandu said in a post on X.
Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the chief minister expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for deputing the ministers to the state.
"I sincerely thank Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji for his prompt concern and support in deputing two Union Ministers, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan Ji and Shri Kiren Rijiju Ji, to personally assess the situation on the ground," he said.
"Their visit reflects the Government of India's unwavering commitment to stand with the people of Arunachal Pradesh in this hour of need," the chief minister said.
The development came a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah personally spoke to Khandu over the phone on Monday night to take stock of the flood situation across the state.
During the conversation, Shah enquired about the extent of the damage and ongoing rescue and relief operations while assuring all possible assistance from the Centre to support the state's response to the disaster.
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