Arunachal deploys helicopter to airlift relief supplies to flood-hit villages cut off by landslides

The Arunachal Pradesh government has deployed a state-owned helicopter to airlift essential food and medical supplies to several remote villages in Lower Siang district that have been cut off by flash floods and massive landslides triggered by heavy rainfall over the past week.

The emergency operation was launched after collapsed bridges and landslides severed road connectivity to villages including Rotte, Rame, Loglu, Lipin, Mane, Tene, Sipu, Kakki, Kadu, Rina, Sido and Korang, leaving them completely isolated from the rest of the state.

Acting on an urgent request from the Lower Siang Deputy Commissioner, the state government pressed a Skyone Airways Mi-172 helicopter into service. The helicopter is scheduled to carry out multiple sorties on Saturday, transporting emergency food supplies and critical medicines from the Pasighat Advanced Landing Ground in East Siang district to the Koyu helipad in Lower Siang.

According to the Directorate of Civil Aviation, the helicopter departed Naharlagun on Saturday morning and was expected to reach Koyu within an hour to begin relief operations.

Officials said personnel from the civil aviation, district administration, disaster management and food safety departments in Itanagar, Pasighat, Likabali and Nari have been placed on high alert to ensure the smooth offloading and distribution of relief materials to the affected villages.

Meanwhile, the Lower Siang district administration has intensified efforts to restore road connectivity by clearing debris along the Likabali-Basar-Bame stretch of the Akajan-Likabali-Bame Road.

Likabali Additional Deputy Commissioner Mokar Riba said a massive landslide near Brahmaputra View at Garu has necessitated immediate clearance operations.

To facilitate restoration work and ensure public safety, the district administration has imposed a strict time-bound traffic regulation schedule on the Akajan-Likabali-Bame Road. Authorities warned that violations of the order would invite legal action under relevant provisions.

The Akajan-Likabali-Bame Road is considered a crucial lifeline for seven border districts of Arunachal Pradesh and holds strategic importance as it enables the movement of security personnel and equipment to the frontier regions.