Flood in Siang River damages paddy fields of 50 families from Mer village
Administration and public leaders take stock of the damages
PASIGHAT ( By Maksam Tayeng )- In a big setback for the farming communities of Mer village under Mebo Sub-Division here in East Siang District, the flooding Siang river damaged and eroded away cultivation land with paddy and pulse fields of five families and submerged the WRC field of fifty families.
The Siang river flood has turned more left/eastern direction thereby eroding away huge lands of Lower Mebo villages, particularly of Mer, Namsing and Borguli (New) this season.
On the report of the village Gaon Burah and village Secretary to the Addl. Dy. Commissioner’s office, Mebo, a team of officials from administration led by Extra Assistant Commissioner, Toni Mitkong, Horticulture Development Officer, Bini Tagom, Agriculture Development Officer, Aido Moyong, Range Forest Officer, Domek Koyu, HFA, Vijay Ratan along with Monggu Banggo Zila Parishad Member, Gumin Tayeng inspected the flood affected agricultural field areas of Mer village today.
The village authorities of Mer village including PRI leaders, GBs and village secretary showed the agricultural field areas of paddy cultivation where more than 200 hectares of wetland rice cultivation (WRC) are under submergence from flooding Siang river.
The inspection team from the administration and allied departments took an extensive tour of all the submerged WRC field areas by taking up extensive walks around the fields and also by using country boats to check out the other cultivation areas where it was not possible to go on foot due to the depth of the flood waters.
While speaking to this scribe, Gumin Tayeng, Monggu Banggo ZPM and Mer Village Gaon Burah, Binod Perme said that, the extent of flood damages this year in and around Mer village are so huge that, the paddy fields of fifty families are affected badly which in turn will lead to ration crisis in the village.
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“Majority of families’ flood affected paddy fields with standing crops are completely submerged and some others are partially submerged. While five other families’ standing crops of paddy fields with one field of pulses including of village’s Gaon Burah, are already and completely eroded/washed away by the flooding Siang river”, added Gumin Tayeng.
As a ZPM of the area Tayeng also said that the state government failed to give relief/compensation to the villagers for the losses of agricultural crops damaged by floods that were submitted last and previous year by the Namsing village which is located just in the northern side of Mer village.
However, Tayeng opined hope that the Pema Khandu led state government will duly compensate for the losses out of natural calamities (flood damages) in the form of relief support. He also appealed to the MLA Mebo, Oken Tayeng to pursue the damage report submitted to the government by the concerned authorities to ensure the relief support is delivered to the farming communities of Mer village whose source of ration are damaged.
Joining the statement of ZPM, Mer village Gaon Burah, Binod Perme also appealed to the state government and the local MLA to sanction adequate funds for the construction of flood control measures in the river bank of Siang river to stop further damages in coming years.
On the part of visiting officials from the administration, agriculture and horticulture department, Toni Mitkong, EAC Mebo assured to submit the crop damage reports to the government so that relief/compensation are given to the villagers whose paddy fields are damaged in the flood.
