Relentless monsoon rains have wreaked havoc across Arunachal Pradesh, with the latest situation report from the Department of Disaster Management confirming 11 fatalities, two missing persons, and more than 938 individuals affected across 23 districts.
The rain-triggered disasters primarily landslides and floods have claimed lives in Longding, East Kameng, Lower Subansiri, and Lohit districts. Of the 11 deaths reported, nine were due to landslides, one to flooding, and one from a tree fall.
The most recent casualty was identified as Guptajit Bharali, who was swept away by the swollen Sukha Nallah in Lohit district on May 31. His body was recovered the following day. Meanwhile, two persons, one each from Anjaw and Lohit remain missing. One individual from Kamle district sustained injuries.
So far, 156 villages have been affected, with Lower Subansiri alone accounting for eight of them. Damage assessments reveal the destruction of 114 kutcha houses (29 fully, 85 partially), 45 pucca houses (7 fully, 38 partially), and nine huts (six fully damaged). Infrastructure losses include 51 roads, 17 power lines, 55 instances of landslides, 23 water supply lines, 10 boundary walls, seven toilets, and two schools.
Major infrastructural damage has been reported in Lower Subansiri, the Itanagar Capital Region (ICR), and Pakke Kessang, with ICR’s main pipeline and the road at Dariya Hill among the severely impacted assets.
The agricultural toll includes 15 hectares of crop damage—8 hectares of horticulture and 7 hectares of agricultural land. Animal losses reported include five poultry, two pigs, and one cow in Lower Subansiri.
Speaking to Secretary Disaster Management of Arunachal Pradesh Dani Sulu confirmed that relief efforts are underway. So far, 18 people have been evacuated: 14 stranded labourers were airlifted from Lower Dibang Valley, and four others were rescued from Jallukbari village in Lohit.
One relief camp has been established at the Government Secondary School in Alubari, Namsai district, currently sheltering 59 individuals.
State and central agencies, including the SDRF, state police, and NDRF, have been deployed for rescue and relief operations. The Indian Air Force has also been mobilised, deploying a MiG-27 aircraft and helicopters to assist in Lower Dibang Valley.