Arunachal Pradesh: Communication to Tezu snapped due to landslide

Itanagar: Landslides triggered by the first monsoon spell have snapped surface communication to Tezu in Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh.

The headquarters town of Tezu was cut off from rest of the state following massive landslides due to incessant rain in the past few days. According to official sources, heavy landslides beyond 5 km point from Tohangam (O Point) have brought vehicular movement to a standstill.

In order to restore road connectivity, the Border Roads Organization (BRO) has deployed both men and machineries but struggling to clear the debris as continuous rainfall was hampering restoration activities, sources said. "Due to sinking of the steep hill and continuous mudslide, it is foiling our rigorous efforts. For few hours the mud was cleared and the road was made thorough but the continuous rain is creating hurdles in restoration works," BRO official P K Gupta informed.

The Alubari Ghat connecting Tezu with Namsai had also been closed owing to surging waters of the Lohit river and its tributaries, sources said. Meanwhile, passenger vehicle services from Tezu to Tinsulia and Itanagar have been suspended since last three days resulting in scarcity of essential commodities, sources added. A report from Pasighat stated that normal life has been severely affected in East Siang district following incessant downpour in the past couple of days.

Continuous downpour in the district had resulted in water logging in many places at Pasighat, the headquarters town while the Siang river and its tributaries were in high spate.