Arunachal floods affect over 1 lakh families, damage 85000 hectares of crops; MP seeks special Central package

Rajya Sabha MP from Arunachal Pradesh Tai Tagak on Monday, July 14 said the ongoing floods have affected more than one lakh families across 28 districts of the state, damaging approximately 85,000 hectares of agricultural land and causing extensive destruction to infrastructure, while urging the Centre to announce a special relief package for the frontier state.

Addressing the media, Tagak described the disaster as unprecedented, stating that the scale of devastation was "worse than the 1950 earthquake" and beyond the capacity of the state government to manage on its own. He said Arunachal Pradesh, with its mountainous terrain and numerous river systems, requires immediate assistance for relief, restoration and long-term reconstruction.

According to the MP, incessant rainfall, overflowing rivers and cloudbursts have triggered sequential disasters across districts, with new towns and villages being affected almost every day. He said damaged roads, washed-away bridges and debris have disrupted connectivity, preventing rescue teams from reaching several remote villages.

Tagak expressed concern over the possibility of disease outbreaks caused by prolonged waterlogging and cloudbursts, urging the state health machinery to remain on high alert to assist affected communities.

He said strategic roads, bridges and culverts have suffered extensive damage in districts including Anjaw, Tawang and Lower Siang, while communication has been completely disrupted in several interior areas such as Nilling Circle in Upper Subansiri district and the cloudburst-hit Parsi Parlo town in Kurung Kumey district.

Emphasising Arunachal Pradesh's strategic importance due to its international borders, the MP called for the rapid restoration of road connectivity, including the construction of temporary bridges to reconnect border towns. He noted that the Ministry of Defence and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) are assessing damage to strategic roads across the state.

Tagak said an inter-ministerial team has visited Arunachal Pradesh to assess the losses but could not reach several far-flung affected villages due to damaged infrastructure. He also acknowledged the efforts of district officials, bureaucrats and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel engaged in rescue operations in districts such as Lower Dibang Valley, Keyi Panyor and East Siang.

The Rajya Sabha MP said the floods have also affected livestock, fisheries and local markets, with several families suffering personal losses. While noting that the state is still compiling detailed damage estimates, he said preliminary assessments indicate that over one lakh families have been impacted.

Describing Arunachal Pradesh as a revenue-deficit, agriculture-dependent state, Tagak said managing a disaster of this magnitude without substantial Central assistance would be extremely challenging. He appealed to the Union government to sanction a special flood relief package and urged citizens across the country to extend support to the flood-affected state.

Tagak also said he had contributed Rs 19 lakh from his personal resources for relief efforts in Keyi Panyor and Lower Siang districts, adding that he took the initiative as he had only recently been elected and was yet to complete the formalities related to the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS).