GUWAHATI, July 15: Rajya Sabha MP from Arunachal Pradesh, Tai Tagak has described the flood and landslides, currently wreaking havoc across the state, as natural disasters more devastating than the 1950 earthquake.
Addressing mediapersons, Tagak said, according to preliminary estimates, over 85,000 hectares of farm land have been damaged, while more than one lakh families across all the 28 districts have been affected by floods, landslides, cloudbursts and incessant rainfall.
The disaster has also caused extensive losses to livestock, fisheries, public infrastructure and communication networks, besides claiming human lives.
Urging the Centre to announce a special central flood relief package for the frontier state, the MP said the scale of devastation was beyond the state’s financial capacity.
“This is an unimaginable disaster. The state government alone cannot bear the enormous burden of rebuilding damaged infrastructure and restoring normalcy. Relief, restoration and reconstruction must now become the highest priority,” he said.
He further observed that continuous rainfall and overflowing rivers have led to fresh destruction almost every day, with roads, bridges and culverts being washed away or blocked by landslides, leaving several villages inaccessible and hampering rescue and relief operations.
The MP called for immediate restoration of strategic roads and the construction of temporary bridges to reconnect remote habitations and border areas.
Expressing concern over public health, Tagak warned that prolonged waterlogging and cloudburst-induced flooding could trigger outbreaks of waterborne diseases.
Urging the health department to keep medical teams on high alert, he appreciated the efforts of district administrations, SDRF personnel and other officials engaged in rescue and relief operations despite adverse weather, particularly in Lower Dibang Valley, Keyi Panyor and East Siang districts.
The MP said he had personally undertaken road surveys across several affected districts to assess the ground situation.
