Keyi Panyor (Arunachal Pradesh) [India], June 29 (HBTV): Four days after a cloudburst triggered flash floods and landslides in Arunachal Pradesh's Keyi Panyor district, authorities on Sunday recovered the body of a third individual, continued restoration work amid persistent rainfall and initiated a comprehensive assessment of damage to homes and other properties.
The Keyi Panyor district administration has constituted a Verification Committee to assess the damage caused by the flash floods.
The committee has been directed to undertake field verification on June 29 and submit a detailed report, along with its recommendations, to the Deputy Commissioner.
Meanwhile, the East Kameng district administration has issued a weather advisory warning of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and heavy rainfall from June 28 to July 1, based on a forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The advisory urged residents to remain alert and strictly follow safety guidelines, cautioning that the prevailing weather conditions could trigger landslides, flash floods and widespread disruption in vulnerable areas.
Survivors of the disaster recounted how floodwaters swept away their homes, belongings and livelihoods, forcing families to take shelter in temporary relief camps.
Rumi Rabha, a 46-year-old employee of NEEPCO, said she and her husband narrowly escaped after floodwaters washed away their official quarters near Possa village.
'It was raining very heavily, non-stop. Then the boundary wall collapsed, and the water rushed right inside. We managed to get out somehow, but the house was completely swept away. Nothing is left. We barely managed to escape, but we couldn't save a thing,' Rabha told ANI.
Another resident, Jhankeswari Sharma, said she and her husband survived but lost everything they had spent years building.
'We built our lives here, never realising that if the river swelled, we wouldn't even see the danger coming until it was too late,' Sharma said.
Local resident Sajal Pandit said continuous rainfall and recurring landslides had created fear among residents despite the administration's restoration efforts.
'The administration has issued an advisory, and people should follow it. It would be best to avoid travelling unless it is absolutely necessary,' he said.
Landslides have also been reported at multiple locations along the Potin-Possa road, prompting the district administration to restrict the movement of heavy vehicles.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), under Project Arunank, restored the crucial Kimin-Potin road within 36 hours after multiple landslides and road breaches cut off connectivity to Potin, Yazali, Yachuli, Joram and Ziro.
The road closure had also disrupted the movement of essential commodities, emergency response teams and access to the Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (TRIHMS) in Naharlagun.
Heavy rainfall has also caused the Leku River to overflow, triggering severe flooding in Assam's Jonai region. More than 100 families have been affected, with several houses, agricultural fields and livestock submerged.
Floodwaters have inundated several villages, including Kedichuk in Jonai subdivision, while waterlogging on National Highway 515 has stranded hundreds of vehicles and completely disrupted road connectivity between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
According to the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), train services between Archipathar and Simen Chapari stations have been suspended after more than 110 mm of rainfall in Assam's Dhemaji district caused flooding and bank erosion that affected a railway bridge.
Earlier, a 300-metre-long iron bridge over the Kemi River connecting Kemi and Oyan was washed away, severing connectivity between the Kemi-Purana Jelom area and Jonai Sadar.
Source: ANI