[Indu Chukhu]
ITANAGAR, 20 Sep: Dorjeeling village in Shi-Yomi district has been severely affected by inundation caused by the overflowing Dorjeeling river.
The RCC bridge near the village has also been bent and twisted by the river in spate.
When contacted, Mechukha ADC Tana Yaho informed over the phone that the river began to overflow in the wee hours of Friday. She said that the incident has severely affected the local entrepreneurs who run businesses such as cafes and lodges in Dorjeeling, which is a tourist spot.
“Trout breeding, which is practised by most of the farmers, has also been severely affected, besides the CC pavement roads and several private households,” the ADC said.
Shekhar village near Dorjeeling has also been affected by the heavy flow of the streams, she informed.
The Lhallung hydel has also been affected by the flooding, and power supply is reported to be cut off since Thursday night.
Suspecting climate change effect, this reporter contacted the India Meteorological Department’s Itanagar Met Centre Head Dr A Sandeep, who said that “the incident in Dorjeeling is not a cloudburst,” and added that, “as per the IMD, a cloudburst is identified as rainfall of 10cm or more in an hour over a roughly 10km x 10km area, which is further considered as a cloudburst event.”
“As per Met Itanagar records, on Friday morning, from 1:30-6:30 am, good rainfall was received at Tenali, with 47mm, followed by 36mm in Tuting, both in Upper Siang district.”
He said that Shi-Yomi district received a maximum of 21.7mm rain in Monigong, and further informed that “there is a need to analyse the entire scenario. Only then can one come up with any statement.”
“The incident cannot be totally related to global warming,” Dr Sandeep said.
He informed, however, that “the kind of morning-hour rainfall in Shi-Yomi and Upper Siang districts occur when an extract tropical convective system enters into Arunachal’s upper regions and the local heat supports the convection to be lifted to a higher level.”
