Church Destroyed, Houses Damaged: Arunachal's Kurung Kumey District Flooded

Severe flash floods triggered by continuous monsoon rainfall have caused widespread devastation in Parsi Parlo, a remote border town in the Kurung Kumey district of Arunachal Pradesh, on Monday morning.

At least three districts in Arunachal Pradesh have been under the impact of flash floods since early morning. Kurung Kumey, Kamle, Pakke Kessang were the most impacted by the massive rainfall last night, turning the Kumey River to burst its banks.

The flooding struck during the early hours after incessant rainfall caused the Parsi Parlo River to rise rapidly, inundating residential areas and public infrastructure. 

Due to heavy rainfall in the upper ridges of the Kumey River during the early hours.

The widespread flash flooding caused significant damage in the Parsi-Parlo circle and Damin sub-division of the Kurung Kumey District. The bridge connecting Huri to Damin has been washed away, disrupting road connectivity, sources added.

Two houses have been partially damaged. The Baptist Church has also been destroyed. The bridge connecting to Pagam Village has been washed out in the flood. The incident has severely affected transportation, public infrastructure, and residential properties, sources further added. 

Meanwhile, the district administration has been in constant touch with the paramilitary forces, police, public and other stakeholders for relief assessment.

Road communication with the ITBP camp was cut off due to the bridge collapsing, sources further added.

Locals of the flash flood-affected areas of Arunachal Pradesh are asking for immediate help.

Former Zila Parishad Chairperson (ZPC) of Kurung Kumey Sangha Tajik on Monday appealed to the Arunachal government to provide immediate relief materials to the flood victims.

"At around 3 am, due to a flash flood, the entire Parsi-Parlo circle and Damin subdivision of Kurung Kumey district of Arunachal Pradesh have been submerged. Flood waters are entering villages and road connectivity has been damaged. The Luksang valley bridge, constructed by BRO, was washed away in the flash floods. Most of the road connectivity has been disrupted after roads were washed away," said Tajik.

"Hutar Valley bridge, constructed by BRO, which was recently inaugurated, was washed away. In the Damin subdivision, a bridge connecting Huri and Damin was washed away, snapping road connectivity. An inspection bungalow in Parsi-Parlo circle was inundated, and two residential houses suffered partial damage. A church was damaged, and a bridge connecting Pagam village was washed away," he added.

"We appealed to the state government, NGO, and student organisations to come forward voluntarily and help the flood victims by providing them relief.   The government should speed up the restoration work and restore all the Bailey bridges that were damaged in the flash floods," the former ZPC said.