Landslides threaten to cut off Assam-Arunachal highway

Guwahati, June 24: Heavy monsoon rains have pushed parts of Northeast India to the brink of a connectivity crisis, with major landslides threatening to snap a key highway linking Assam and Arunachal Pradesh even as flash floods in Arunachal’s Keyi Panyor district have left three people missing and washed away 18 houses.

Three major landslides struck National Highway 315(A), the lifeline connecting Assam’s Dibrugarh district with Arunachal Pradesh’s Tirap district, raising fears that the route could collapse completely if rains continue.

Large sections of the highway near the Kathalguri Beat Office under the Jeypore Forest Range have caved in, with nearly half of the road at some locations sliding into a deep gorge below. All three damaged stretches are located near the notorious “U-turn” section of the highway.

The situation is particularly worrying because the road, which passes through the Dihing Patkai National Park, had undergone widening and reconstruction only last year

Authorities have already imposed a night traffic ban on the Jeypore-Kathalguri stretch between 6 pm and 6 am and installed safety barricades along the vulnerable sections.

However, residents fear that further erosion could completely sever the only direct road link between Tirap district and Assam.

Thousands of people in Arunachal’s Khonsa, Deomali, Namsang and adjoining areas depend on Dibrugarh and Tinsukia in Assam for markets, healthcare and essential supplies. A complete disruption of NH-315(A) would leave these areas effectively cut off with no immediate alternative route.

Meanwhile, torrential rainfall also triggered a devastating landslide and flash flood near the NEEPCO area at 43 km in Arunachal Pradesh’s Keyi Panyor district on Wednesday, causing extensive damage to infrastructure.

According to Deputy Commissioner Sweta Nagarkoti, three people are missing and 18 houses in the NEEPCO colony have been washed away. The district’s helipad has also been damaged, rendering it unusable for Army and Indian Air Force helicopters engaged in search and rescue operations.

The administration has deployed teams from the State Disaster Response Force and the National Disaster Response Force to carry out rescue operations.

The Assam government is also closely monitoring the situation, warning of possible downstream impacts in several districts following extremely heavy rainfall and flash floods in Arunachal Pradesh’s Lower Subansiri district.

According to meteorological data, Yazali in Lower Subansiri received 72.8 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, with intense downpours between 6 am and 7.30 am triggering flash floods and a sharp rise in river discharge.

Authorities said one spillway gate of the Panyor Lower Hydroelectric Project, formerly known as the Ranganadi Hydroelectric Project, had to be opened to release excess water following the sudden surge in inflows.

With more rainfall forecast across the region, authorities have advised residents to avoid non-essential travel and remain on alert as concerns grow over further landslides, flooding and disruptions to connectivity across the Northeast.

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