Flash floods, landslides snap links to forward areas in Arunachal Pradesh

GUWAHATI: Connectivity between the Army's 4th Corps headquarters at Tezpur in Assam and the forward areas near Arunachal Pradesh's northern boundary with China was snapped on Wednesday as the Balipara-Charduar-Tawang (BCT) road was closed for traffic owing to landslides and flash floods triggered by incessant rain.
Tawang Police have asked commuters to avoid this route for going to Bomdila and Tawang and use the OKSRT (Orang-Kalaktang-Shergaon-Rupa-Tenga) road to reach Tawang from Assam.
A government statement said the Border Road Task Force has been asked to place adequate men and machinery in all the vulnerable locations along the BCT and the OKSRT roads to restore smooth flow of essential commodities, movement of public and Army convoys.
Flash floods and landslides wreaked havoc in many areas in West Kameng district on Monday. Many roads and houses were washed away, especially in New Kaspi Nala area near Nag Mandir in the district. Reports said the flood was triggered by cloudburst. Several people are reportedly stranded in the area. The Army, Arunachal Pradesh Police and locals have been engaged in search and rescue operations.
The civil administration has activated emergency control rooms in all the administrative circles. A government statement said the civil administration in Singchung and Rupa have been asked to evacuate people from the flashflood-hit areas and ensure provision of food, shelter and drinking water for them.
The district administration has asked the Border Road Task Force to come up with a plan to effectively meet the monsoon challenge in line with the disaster management plans.