Pasighat: Severe erosion caused by flooding in the Siang River has damaged Wet Rice Cultivation (WRC) fields and other agricultural land at Borguli village under Mebo Sub-Division in Arunachal Pradesh’s East Siang district, threatening the livelihoods of several farming families.

Monggu Banggo-I ZPM Bapiyang Tayeng, accompanied by WRD Mebo Sub-Division Assistant Engineer Bani Langkam and Borguli Gaon Burahs Nogen Yirang, Tokong Tayeng and Bidesor Perme, inspected the affected areas on Friday to assess the damage.

The inspecting team found that portions of Otil Tayeng’s WRC fields had already been eroded. Agricultural land belonging to Aki Tayeng, Golen Tayeng, Odan Tayeng, Joito Tayeng, Jin Tayeng and several other farmers in the area is also under threat.

Local villagers said recurring floods and the changing course of the Siang River have already washed away large areas of cash-crop plantations, bamboo groves and other agricultural land.

They said the erosion now threatens WRC fields that provide food and income to many families in Borguli.

The WRD official and the local Panchayati Raj Institution representative assessed the damage for the preparation of a detailed report to be submitted to the authorities concerned.

Affected farmer Otil Tayeng said his agricultural land was the main source of livelihood for his family and helped him support his children’s education.

“The erosion has already reached my standing paddy field, and the remaining portion could be swallowed by the river at any time,” he said.

The affected villagers appealed to the state and central governments for immediate intervention, adequate compensation for their losses, and the construction of durable flood-control and erosion-protection structures.

They also called for a long-term solution to prevent further loss of farmland, standing crops and properties to the Siang River.

Several other villages in the Monggu Banggo area of Mebo Sub-Division, including Namsing, Seram, Kongkul, Mer and Gadum, are also facing severe erosion caused by the Siang River. Residents of these villages have repeatedly appealed to the government for timely intervention.

Mebo MLA Oken Tayeng said a proposal for a mega flood-control project along the riverbank from Sigar to Mer village was yet to receive sanction from the central government.

“Without a mega project, it will not be possible to effectively mitigate erosion along the left bank of the Siang River under Mebo Sub-Division. Small-scale projects implemented at scattered locations will not resolve the concerns of the affected people,” Tayeng said.

The MLA said he had already raised the hardships and concerns of the affected communities with both the state and central governments.

“I hope the state government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Pema Khandu, will give due consideration to the genuine needs of the 39th Mebo Assembly Constituency,” he said.

“Unlike the Siang River flood damage reported from right-bank villages under the 38th and 37th Assembly constituencies, the people of Lower Mebo have already lost portions of their villages, schools, healthcare facilities, roads, electricity infrastructure and many other valuable assets, including farmland and other livelihood-generating agricultural areas,” Tayeng added.

The MLA urged the authorities to take urgent measures to protect the flood-affected villages of Lower Mebo.