Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 3 Jun: The weeklong incessant rain-triggered floods and landslides in Arunachal Pradesh have claimed at least 12 lives so far and left a trail of destruction across 23 districts in the state.
The Department of Disaster Management (DDM) has shared details of the losses caused by floods and landslides in the state. East Kameng district reported the highest the number of casualties, with seven persons and two unborn babies lost to a mudslide in Bana area along National Highway 13, while Lower Subansiri district has reported two deaths due to landslides. Lohit, Anjaw and Changlang have reported on death each, and two persons have gone missing.
The DDM added that, out of 26 districts, 23 have been badly affected by the heavy monsoon and floods. It has affected nearly 168 villages
and scores of houses and livestock, and altogether 3,220 people have been directly affected.
The department disclosed that so far 212 kutcha houses have been damaged by floods. Among them, 89 houses were fully damaged, 31 were severely damaged, and 92 houses were partially damaged. Floods also damaged 91 pucca houses across the state. In the case of livestock, the DDM informed that 335 poultry, 30 small animals, and 60 large animals lost their lives in the state.
The department has so far evacuated around 2,249 people from flood-affected areas and set up three relief camps.
Floods have affected almost 37 hectares of horticulture and agriculture fields. Among them, West Siang district lost 5 hectares of agricultural crops, and Papum Pare district lost 12 hectres of cultivated horticulture crops due to heavy rainfall. Rainfall and floods have also damaged several infrastructures, both government and private.