Key Arunachal road severely damaged after cloudburst, 7 districts cut off
It has been nearly a week since the devastating cloudburst at Poosa in Arunachal Pradesh's Keyi Panyor district, but the destruction continues to cripple road
It has been nearly a week since the devastating cloudburst at Poosa in Arunachal Pradesh's Keyi Panyor district, but the destruction continues to cripple road connectivity across the state. The Hoj-Potin stretch of Highway-13, a crucial lifeline linking central and upper Arunachal Pradesh, remains completely closed, leaving seven districts effectively cut off from the rest of the state. The June 24 cloudburst triggered massive landslides, flash floods and road washouts, destroying 18 residential quarters of the NEEPCO colony, killing three people and leaving two others missing. Continuous heavy rainfall since then has further hampered restoration efforts. Read Full Story Papum Pare Deputy Commissioner Lobsang Tsering on Sunday inspected the restoration work along the Hoj-Potin road amid heavy rain.
Speaking to India Today, he said the highway had suffered extensive damage at several locations and would take more than a week to reopen. "The damage is severe along multiple stretches following the June 24 cloudburst in Keyi Panyor district. Restoration will take more than a week," he said. The Deputy Commissioner also clarified that no earth-cutting permission has been granted in Papum Pare district during his tenure. He added that the Sagalee-Parang road, which connects to Potin, remains the only motorable alternative, and directions have been issued to the Additional Deputy Commissioner at Sagalee to deploy manpower and machinery to facilitate the movement of commuters travelling to Keyi Panyor and other affected areas.
The Hoj-Potin Road (NH-13/NH-713A) has been rendered impassable after massive mudslides and flash floods blocked key locations, including Kala Mathi, also known as the Black Mud Point, and the Pare River Hoj Box Cutting. Authorities have issued an advisory urging commuters to avoid all non-essential travel as the terrain remains highly unstable. The highway serves as the primary road link to several districts, including Keyi Panyor, Lower Subansiri, Kurung Kumey, Kra Daadi, Kamle, Upper Subansiri and adjoining regions. The prolonged closure has severely disrupted the movement of people, goods and essential supplies. The Public Works Department's Highway Division has deployed multiple excavators and heavy machinery to clear debris.
However, persistent rainfall continues to trigger fresh landslides, slowing restoration work. PWD Highway Junior Engineer Nagesh Kumar Singh said restoration teams were also facing a shortage of fuel supplies for heavy machinery. He added that some stretches have developed vertical gorges measuring 40 to 50 metres deep, making reconstruction particularly challenging and likely to take at least another month for complete restoration. Ends with inputs from Yuvraj Mehta
The BriefWire