Itanagar: A 16-year-old student and a dog were rescued on Wednesday after flash floods swept them into the reservoir of the 405 MW Panyor Lower Hydroelectric Project in Keyi Panyor district of Arunachal Pradesh.A Class XI student, Bishu Sinha of Yazali Govt Higher Secondary School, was washed away from his home in the NEEPCO colony at Poosa after a sudden cloudburst and heavy overnight rain. He was spotted at around 6 am in the reservoir and rescued at around 1 pm.Bishu said he ran out when water started entering his house and was immediately caught by a strong current. He grabbed a floating log and stayed afloat, with his neighbour’s dog beside him. Rising water and powerful currents formed a whirlpool that trapped them and made escape impossible.Alone on the log for hours, Bishu felt scared and in pain; he later had chest and right leg injuries. “I thought I would not die young. When I saw the rescue team, I believed I would be saved,” Sinha, a Bishnupriya Manipuri whose father works as an operator with NEEPCO, recounted from his hospital bed.NDRF teams swam through the dangerous waters to reach and pull the boy and the dog to safety. Bishu was treated at Gyati Takka Zonal General Hospital in Ziro and then discharged to a relative’s home. Local officials and party workers visited to check on him.The extreme weather caused heavy damage across Keyi Panyor, flooding low areas and damaging at least 18 houses near the NEEPCO colony. NEEPCO shut down the 405 MW plant and opened the dam gates to release water.Yachuli MLA Toko Tatung praised NDRF’s bravery and urged people to stay united. District officials warned residents, especially students and youth, to avoid rivers, dams, reservoirs and landslide-prone areas during the monsoon.
NDRF teams swam through the dangerous waters to reach and pull the boy and the dog to safety
