Arunachal Pradesh Launches Helicopter and Elephant Relief for Flood-Hit Villages
The Arunachal Pradesh government has launched an emergency helicopter operation to supply food grains and evacuate stranded residents from remote villages in Lower Siang district, where flash floods and landslides have cut off several areas from road connectivity.
A Skyone Airways Mi-172 helicopter has been pressed into service on the Pasighat-Koyu route following an urgent requisition from the Lower Siang district administration. The aerial mission is carrying ration supplies to interior villages that remain inaccessible due to damaged roads and collapsed bridges. In areas where roads have been completely washed away, the administration has also requisitioned elephants to ferry fuel and other essentials. Assistant Commissioner Marngam Kakki Moyong of Koyu is monitoring the situation on the ground.
The helicopter completed four sorties and transported 230 bags of rice, weighing approximately 11.5 metric tonnes, from Pasighat to Koyu. The food grains are being distributed among families in flood-affected villages that have remained isolated since heavy rainfall triggered widespread disruption across the district.
The helicopter operation has also been used for medical emergencies and passenger evacuation. Four patients were airlifted from Koyu to Pasighat for treatment, while 91 passengers from the interior regions of Daporijo, Koloriang and Ziro were evacuated during the continuing aerial operations.
Several villages, including Rotte, Rame, Loglu, Lipin, Mane, Tene, Sipu, Kakki, Kadu, Rina, Sido and Korang, have been cut off after flash floods and landslides damaged surface routes and washed away or weakened bridges at multiple locations.
The operation is being coordinated by the Department of Civil Aviation with support from the departments of Disaster Management, Food and Civil Supplies, Health and Family Welfare, and Police. The district administrations of Lower Siang and East Siang, along with the Indian Air Force and other concerned agencies, have been kept on alert at Itanagar, Pasighat, Likabali and Nari.
The state government said the relief efforts were carried out under the leadership of Chief Minister Pema Khandu, with guidance from Civil Aviation Minister Balo Raja and support from the Food and Civil Supplies Minister Gabriel D Wangsu and Nari-Koyu MLA Tojir Kadu. The operation was monitored at the administrative level by the Chief Secretary.
Meanwhile, restoration work has begun on the Likabali-Basar-Bame stretch of the Akajan-Likabali-Bame Road after a major landslide near Brahmaputra View at Garu blocked vehicular movement. Likabali Additional Deputy Commissioner Mokar Riba said strict, time-bound traffic restrictions have been imposed to protect commuters and allow uninterrupted debris-clearing work. He warned that violations of the regulation would invite legal action.
The road is considered a crucial connectivity corridor for seven border districts of Arunachal Pradesh and is strategically important for the movement of security personnel, equipment and essential supplies towards border areas.
