ITANAGAR: Flash floods and landslides affected more than 3,100 people across 14 villages in Arunachal Pradesh's Lower Siang district, officials said on Tuesday.
District Information and Public Relations Officer (DIPRO) Augusti Jamoh said the disaster has extensively damaged wet rice cultivation fields, private properties and public infrastructure across the Nari-Koyu assembly constituency.
Road connectivity has been completely snapped in several villages, including Tabiripo Saku, Loglu, Rotte, Rame and Koyu Village, leaving nearly 500 households isolated.
However, no loss of life or injuries has been reported so far, he said.
The district administration, in coordination with the Army, ITBP, BRO, state police and local volunteers, has launched relief operations and is working on a war footing to restore road connectivity, he added.
Kurung Kumey DIPRO David Koyu, a resident of the affected Rotte village, said a significant portion of the area was washed away, causing extensive damage to paddy fields, horticulture gardens and agricultural land, the primary source of livelihood for local residents.
Several vehicles were swept away in the deluge, while a large number of livestock, including pigs and poultry, were also lost, he said.
The disaster forced villagers to flee their homes and take shelter in nearby paddy huts, where many remained stranded.
During the chaos, two houses were destroyed in a fire that broke out while the occupants were away, Koyu said.
He said the village's hanging bridge was washed away and approach roads and culverts extensively damaged, leaving Rotte completely cut off.
The village's water supply system was destroyed, while electricity poles and power lines were swept away.
Locals and students' organisations appealed to the government for the urgent restoration of road connectivity, construction of a temporary bridge, supply of food grains, and restoration of drinking water and electricity.
A comprehensive assessment of the damage is also being carried out to facilitate compensation and rehabilitation for the affected families, officials said.