Raging rivers threaten Arunachal towns

ITANAGAR: Continuous rain over the last couple of days has triggered landslides and floods in various parts of Arunachal. Majority of rivers in Lohit district are in spate, threatening Tezu and Namsai townships.
The Dura, Sukha Nallah, Denning, Tezu, Lasapani and Digaru rivers are flowing above the danger mark, assistant engineer with the water resources department (WRD) S K Srivastava said on Monday.The Digaru river has submerged three houses and caused massive erosion already.
The Denning river has breached its left bank at two different points, partially diverting its course towards Tezu township. The river has damaged hectares of paddy crops. Lohit deputy commissioner called an emergency meeting on Sunday and directed district officials to assist WRD officials in plugging the gaps immediately.
The Balijan river is threatening Sunpura circle. However, no deaths have been reported from the area yet. At Lekang circle in Namsai district, the Noa Dihing river has flooded peripheral villages. The district administration is working to provide relief to the affected villages.
At Namsai, about 600 people from Menkeng Miri village have been shifted to Menkeng government school, while 96 from Bhogamur village have been shifted to the nearest school building. The administration is providing relief materials to the affected families at Namsai.
“The Noa Dihing river has breached an earthen embankment at Silato–II, as well as the Menkeng embankment,” said WRD executive engineer C J Mannou. The Kamlang, Barreng, Tegapani and Lohit rivers are also flowing above the danger level. Meanwhile, Yupia road has been cut off by massive landslips since Saturday.