Potin's road link in Arunachal still cut off; villages isolated after Possa cloudburst
Keyi Panyor, June 26
The Potin area of Arunachal Pradesh's Keyi Panyor district continues to remain cut off from other parts of the state following massive destruction in Possa village on June 24 due to a flash flood triggered by a cloudburst.
The flash flood caused widespread damage in the region, washing away vehicles and buildings and severely disrupting connectivity across multiple stretches. Restoration and road clearance work are currently underway, but the affected region remains inaccessible due to landslides and washouts at several locations.
Speaking to ANI, Babul Das, who claimed to be an eyewitness to the incident, described the sudden onset of heavy rainfall and the rapid destruction caused by the flash flood.
"We woke up at 4 am that day. It started raining by 5-5.30 am, followed by vehicles and buildings being washed away (in the flash flood). It was raining very heavily and I had never seen anything like that. All of this happened within 30-45 minutes...We were really scared..." he said.
He further said that the entire incident unfolded within a very short span of time, leaving residents with little opportunity to respond as water levels rose rapidly in the early morning hours.
Another local resident, Mahabir Gupta, who is a family member of one of the deceased, described the incident as devastating and said he had lost his family members, who have not yet been traced.
"It felt like a tsunami. There was a cloudburst and it washed away everything. I lost my family too, they have not been traced till date...We are still scared because the soil is still in the same condition, if it rains or gets windy, it will be really dangerous..." he said.
Meanwhile, officials said five people were reported missing in the incident, while the body of one woman has been recovered so far. The incident site at NEEPCO Colony is located around 9 km from the Potin area, which remains cut off due to blocked road connectivity.
The Potin-Possa Village and Potin-Yachuli-Ziro connecting road continues to remain blocked following heavy landslides triggered by the flash flood. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), district administration, and local residents are jointly engaged in restoration efforts to clear the route.
Officials added that road clearance operations are underway on a priority basis, but multiple damaged stretches caused by landslides, flooding and road washouts have made vehicular movement impossible in several areas.
The administration is monitoring the situation closely as efforts continue to restore connectivity and provide relief in the affected region.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Living in Arunachal, we know monsoon brings chaos, but this is unprecedented. I have relatives in Ziro—the road through Potin is their only lifeline. When will we see permanent solutions like elevated highways or tunnels? Every year we hear same story of landslips and washouts. Just praying for the missing people and their families. 🌧️😢
Hats off to BRO, district officials, and local residents for joint restoration work. But frankly, this shows our disaster preparedness in remote areas is still inadequate. The cloudburst warning systems must improve. Potin is only 9 km from the incident site, yet remains cut off. Need better early warning systems and emergency stockpiles in such strategic villages.
I was in Tawang last year during monsoon—these mountain roads are extremely fragile. The eyewitness accounts are terrifying: "It felt like a tsunami." With climate change, such cloudbursts may increase. We need to rethink development in these ecologically sensitive border areas. My thoughts are with the families who lost loved ones. Stay strong, people of Keyi Panyor.
It's alarming how quickly nature can devastate remote communities. The fact that five people are missing and vehicles/buildings washed away shows the sheer force of the flash flood. Important that BRO prioritises clearing the Potin-Possa and Potin-Yachuli-Ziro routes—these connect not just villages but also serve strategic defence needs. Praying for the region.
While reading this, I shudder to think—what if the cloudburst had occurred at
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