A sudden surge of heavy rainfall on Sunday exposed everything that is wrong with the Itanagar capital region (ICR). The heavy rainfall caused blockages, landslides and flooding in various locations of Itanagar and Naharlagun. The scary visuals of drains and rivers flowing at a dangerous level became viral in social media. In most places, the drains were completely choked due to which water started to flow on to the road. In several instances, the water seeped inside the homes and caused absolute mayhem.
Some of them looked like man-made disasters. The choking of drains from the wastes dumped by the citizens was one of the main causes of flooding. Further, the rivers also were flooded with waste released by the people living nearby. In so many places the rivers and streams have been destroyed by construction activities by the people. The natural flow has been blocked. What we saw yesterday was just a glimpse of the potential danger the ICR faces. The rampant illegal earth cutting along with reckless construction activities near rivers and streams pose a serious threat. The ICR administration needs to act fast before it is too late.