LIKABALI, 11 Jul: Heavy downpour in the intervening night has thrown life out of gear in Lower Siang district.
As a precautionary measure, all schools located in Likabali township have been closed for two days from Thursday for the safety of the students and the teachers.
Rainwater has overflown the drains and spread to the roads and compounds of houses and offices, making life miserable for the residents.
The Akajan-Likabali-Bame-Aalo highway has reportedly been damaged by massive landslides at several locations. The road is blocked near Siji, about 23 kms from here, and could not be cleared at the time of filing this report, as continuous rain has badly hindered the restoration work.
Surface communication to most of the outpost circles have also been affected due to heavy erosion and landslides.
All the rivers have swollen up and inundated the low-lying areas, including residences and paddy fields. The Kombo River, aptly known as the ‘Sorrow of Jipu’, has overrun the RCC bridge and severely damaged its abutments, disrupting surface communication to many villages.
Huge volumes of mudslides brought down by theriver have spread to the nearby inhabited areas and engulfed many paddy fields and plantation areas.
Likabali ADC Mokar Riba, accompanied by the district disaster management officer, inspected the affected and vulnerable locations in the town and the nearby villages to take stock of the situation.
Riba called for coordination among the line departments to address the situation, and to take necessary actions on priority for the safety of the affected people. (DIPRO)
