Alert sounded in Siang river basin in Arunachal Pradesh Official

    Itanagar, Aug 8 (PTI) An alert has been sounded all
along the Siang river basin in Arunachal Pradesh after the
Union Home Ministry in a report informed about the formation
of an artificial lake on Yigong Tso river in Tibet, an
official said.
    Arunachal Pradesh Disaster Management director Atul
Tayeng in a letter to deputy commissioners of Siang, Upper
Siang, East Siang and West Siang recently asked them to remain
alert and be prepared in case of an unlikely scenario of flood
situation due to breach of the lake.
    Tayeng issued the letter after the Union Home Ministry
in a report informed that the lake formed is more than 200
kilometres away from the Indian border and said that in case
of a breach, the computed peak flood of 823 m3/sec is very
less compared to the flood discharge in the Brahmaputra when
it enters India.
    "However, it is to be noted that the conclusion was
derived based on the hydrological simulation study by assuming
the depth and using empirical formulas and hence cannot be
used for real time operation and flood management," the report
added.
    Tayeng in his letter had stated, "Considering
statistics from previous years the threat of flood is minimal.
However, as there is a possibility of increasing lake water,
you are requested to be on alert and be prepared in case of an
unlikely flood scenario due to the breach of the lake.
Meanwhile, BJP Lok Sabha MP from Arunachal East
Parliamentary Constituency Tapir Gao, said that he has spoken
to all deputy commissioners concerned and asked them not to
allow the people venture near the most unpredictable river
basin until clearance is received from the Union Home
Ministry.
Siang Deputy Commissioner Rajiv Takuk, when contacted,
said that gaon burahs (village headman) have been sent to low
lying areas to ask local inhabitants not to panic but to
remain alert.
Gao said that a meeting was held on Thursday to
discuss the issue and possible remedial measures.
"Sudden flow of higher volume of water would be
risky now as water level is already high now due to rainy
season," he said.
East Siang Deputy Commissioner Dr Kinny Singh also
said that alert has been sounded up to the grassroots level
for one and all to remain cautious though the possibility of
threat of flood is minimal." But, it is better to remain
vigilant as mighty Siang River is unpredictable, she added.
    Meanwhile, Congress Pasighat West MLA Niong Ering in a
letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged him
to ask his Chinese counterpart to share the latest information
on the status of Siang river, known as Brahmaputra in Assam
and Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet, which was not shared in the past
two years.
    Ering said that the Siang river has once again become
a threat for the people of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam after a
landslide in the Nien-Ching-Tang-Ku-La Shan East mountain
range.
    The legislator said the landslide which occurred due
to earthquakes in the area has created a natural dam in Yigong
Tsangpo, one of the major tributaries of Yarlung Tsangpo or
Siang River in southern Tibet.
    Ering, a former Lok Sabha MP said automatic weather
stations must be established at all border points from where
the rivers flow into the country.
    The Central Water Commission needs to collect and
disseminate the flow rate data in advance, he said. PTI UPL
RG RG

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)