Arunachal: Adi Baane Kebang Demands Urgent Flood Protection Measures in Mebo; Warns of Office Lockdown if Govt Fails to Act
Adi Baane Kebang (ABK) and its youth wing inspected Siang River flood-affected villages in Mebo Sub-Division, East Siang. ABK urged the government to implement permanent flood control measures and warned of a protest if no action is taken.
PASIGHAT- In response to the worsening flood erosion caused by the Siang River, the Adi Baane Kebang (ABK) — the traditional apex body of the Adi community — along with its Youth Wing, East Siang District, and Mebo Block units, conducted a field visit today to assess the situation in the severely affected villages of Namsing, Seram, Borguli, and Sigar under Mebo Sub-Division.
The delegation, led by ABK President Tanon Tatak, was received by ZPM Gumin Tayeng, village heads, Gaon Burahs, and panchayat leaders who briefed the team on the devastating impacts of the annual floods. At Namsing village, where several houses have been dismantled and land lost to the river, Tatak emphasized that the issue demands immediate state and central government intervention through emergency flood control projects.
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“Hundreds of hectares have already been eroded. The government must act now with a permanent solution,” Tatak said, stressing the urgency of implementing a mega road-cum-flood protection embankment from Raneghat Bridge to Mer/Paglam villages, which he said could also promote riverfront tourism alongside protection.
At Seram and Borguli villages, local leaders including GB Kalom Lego, Nogen Yirang, and Oneswar Tayeng appealed for government assistance to reinforce and continue voluntary flood control works initiated by the Siang Flood Warriors. In Sigar village, where flood defenses failed in 2020, community members described how the Siang’s shifting course forced many to relocate.
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ABK Youth Wing President Oki Dai expressed frustration over the government’s inaction despite a memorandum submitted to Chief Minister Pema Khandu in August 2023.
“Neither the Chief Minister nor the Deputy CM has visited the flood-affected sites despite our repeated requests,” Dai said. “If the government continues to ignore the crisis, we will be forced to lock all government offices in Mebo Sub-Division as a mark of protest.”
The ABK team, comprising Vice President (Protocol) Smt. Olen Megu Damin, East Siang Unit President Dijhi Tamuk, General Secretary Anit Tamuk, and other community leaders, pledged to raise the issue with the government and push for the reconsideration and resubmission of the earlier flood protection mega project for the Siang’s left bank.
Residents across the region echoed a growing sentiment — that the Siang’s wrath is no longer a seasonal inconvenience but a humanitarian and developmental crisis that requires immediate and lasting government attention.
