Guwahati: Record upstream rainfall in Arunachal Pradesh has flooded downstream Assam, hitting Dhemaji district the hardest.Heavy to extremely heavy rain in Arunachal districts along the Assam border has swollen rivers and inundated large parts of Assam, particularly Dhemaji. India Meteorological Department (IMD) data for the last 24 hours shows intense rainfall along the Assam-Arunachal belt.The worst impact has been in Dhemaji, which borders Arunachal’s East Siang district, where Pasighat recorded the region’s highest rainfall during the period. Residents alleged authorities failed to take timely measures to evacuate people and livestock to safer areas.IMD data showed that Pasighat received 222.8 mm of rain in the 24 hours till Monday morning, in the “extremely heavy rainfall” category. “Govt agencies issued alerts, but did not take adequate steps to shift people and cattle to the highlands. As a result, a large number of families have lost their way of livelihood since yesterday,” said Gyan Sharma, a resident of flood-affected Jonai in Dhemaji.Sharma, who is also the finance secretary of Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad, said people expected better coordination between the govts of Assam and Arunachal and the meteorological department.IMD records also showed that two other weather stations in Pasighat logged “very heavy” rainfall of 203.4 mm and 197 mm, releasing more water into the rivers in Assam. In contrast, the IMD station in Dhemaji recorded about 80 mm in the same period and was not among Assam’s highest rainfall-receiving locations.Assam revenue and disaster management minister Keshab Mahanta on Monday said the flooding was a direct consequence of torrential rain in Arunachal. “CM Himanta Biswa Sarma is constantly monitoring the flood situation in Dhemaji district caused by the recent heavy rainfall in Arunachal,” he said.Mahanta said the Arunachal administration informed Dhemaji authorities that continuous rainfall in Magi village triggered a landslide that blocked the Gai River (locally known as the Siji River). “The Arunachal administration has already sought the assistance of the Army to safely and controllably restore the blocked water flow of the Gai River in Magi village,” he added.
