Image: Northeast Now

Unabated erosion posed by Siang river breached Mebo-Dhola road in East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, snapped road communication along the route.

The main course of mighty Siang river is taking a left turn at Mebo sub division and eroding land at Sigar portion.

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The river already gripped a portion of Sigar primary school playground and also posing threat to the school building.

Erosion posed by the river already gripped several acres of cultivated land Kongkul, Serum, Namsing, Gadum and Mer villager under East Siang district posing a serious threat to the local residents.

About 550 meter stretch of Mebo-Dhoka road between Kongkul and Namsing village was eroded on Wednesday night and made the lower Meboa area cut off from the rest parts of the district.

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The Public Work Department is making an alternative way aside the road, and said that it would take some days.

The 40 km-long Mebo-Dhola road is linking Mebo subdivision of East Siang and parts of Lower Dibang Valley with Dholaghat in Sadiya subdivision of Upper Assam’s Tinsukia district.

The villages including Namsing, Gadum and Mer villages under Lower Mebo in East Siang and adjoin parts of Lower Dibang Valley district are now cut off from the rest part of the district after the PWD road, which is known as lifeline for the village is washed away.

The Public Works Department is making an alternative road aside the eroded Mebo-Dhola road to restore road communication, which would take some days.

Meanwhile, erosion posed by Siang has dispersed 100 families at Serum and Kongkul villages situated on the left banks.

The helpless villagers, who have lost their dwelling house, are keeping hope on divine power as they offer puja to mother Siang (Jol devata) at Namsing to stop the erosion.

“We adopted all traditional anti-erosion methods by using locally available materials, but all went in vain. Now we are keeping trust on the divine power to save our habitat”, said Namsing village Gaonburah Basanta Perme.

It may be mentioned that a boulder bund worth Rs 30 crore under DoNER ministry funding was erected on the left bank of Siang river at Sigar portion, which was washed away in the first wave of flash flood.

 

Prafulla Kaman is Northeast Now Correspondent in Dhemaji. He can be reached at: [email protected]