The Arunachal Pradesh government said the Kameng river has turned turbid due to glacier movement and erosion upstream of the Warriyang Bung river, a tributary of the Kameng river.
A media report quoted Disaster Management Secretary Dani Salu as saying in a statement that according to researcher Chintan Sheth, based on satellite imagery, “the debris flow is visible along the Warriyang Bung river, in Marjangla, Khenewa circle area, and the flood erosion valley is visible.”
Salu also stated: “In the upstream of the Warriyang Bung river, there are many glaciers, and it has been observed that the glaciers have moved. However, it remains to be seen whether these glacier movements are normal or abnormal.”
The official, however, said due to heavy cloud coverage in the area, no definite images and information could be gathered by the satellites.
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“Although every effort has been made to find out the exact origin and cause of the disturbance in the Kameng river, no definite images and information could be gathered by the satellites due to heavy cloud coverage in the area,” Salu stated.
The report quoted Salu as saying that the water level of the Kameng river has neither increased nor decreased even after 72 hours and that the mudflow or debris flow has not abated.
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Informing that the Arunachal Pradesh chief secretary has taken up the matter with the North Eastern Space Application Centre (NESAC) based in Shillong and the Central Water Commission to help identify the cause and the source of the turbidity.
Salu said: “The State Remote Sensing Application Centre, Itanagar and NESAC, Shillong have informed that they are in the process of getting clear and more definite images of the area as presently it is under heavy cloud coverage. The ISRO has also been approached to find out the actual cause and place of origin.”
Salu said some independent researchers and professors have approached the East Kameng district administration to provide their technical inputs so that the root cause of the problem can be understood.
The East Kameng district administration carried out a physical inspection of the river at various points along the Seppa-Chayang Tajo road.
During the inspection it was found that the water in all the tributaries like Para, Pakke, Pachuk, Pachi and Pacha, was clear.
In Marjangla, thick deposits of clay and tree debris were found on the banks of the Kameng river.
Salu said the Arunachal Pradesh government has alerted the NDRF and the SDRF teams and the state government is closely monitoring the Kameng river’s condition keeping in constant touch with the ARSAC, Itanagar; NESAC, Shillong, ISRO and the Central Water Commission.