Alarmed by the severe flood-induced erosion caused by the Siang River, the Adi Baane Kebang (ABK) — the apex and traditional council of the Adi community — has urged the Arunachal Pradesh government to take immediate and concrete steps to protect several villages under the Mebo Sub-Division in East Siang district. The call comes after a team of ABK leaders and members of its Youth Wing conducted a ground inspection of the worst-affected areas, where homes, farmlands, and vital infrastructure are on the verge of collapse. The ABK delegation, accompanied by local panchayat representatives, Gaon Burahs (village elders), and community leaders, visited Namsing, Seram, Borguli, and Sigar villages, all of which have been facing recurrent erosion for years due to the river’s changing course. The situation has worsened this monsoon, with several households displaced and public property damaged beyond repair.
At Namsing village, considered one of the most severely affected areas, the visiting team was met with grim scenes of destruction. Large tracts of agricultural land have disappeared into the river, and several families have been rendered homeless. Even the Circle Office compound, which once stood at a safe distance from the riverbank, now faces imminent collapse due to erosion. “Hundreds of hectares of fertile land have been washed away over the years. Immediate attention is needed to prevent further loss of life and property,” said ABK President Tanon Tatak, who led the inspection team. He described the Siang’s relentless erosion as a slow-moving disaster that has destroyed livelihoods and forced communities to live in constant fear of displacement.
The delegation’s visit was not merely symbolic. It served as an urgent reminder that Mebo Sub-Division—situated along the volatile Siang River—is in dire need of a long-term flood protection and rehabilitation plan. Local officials, including ZPM Gumin Tayeng, village secretaries, and panchayat members, welcomed the ABK’s initiative, expressing hope that their intervention would push the state government into taking concrete steps. In Seram, Borguli, and Sigar villages, ABK officials interacted directly with residents who narrated the recurring hardships caused by seasonal floods. Many complained that previous protection measures had either failed or been left incomplete.
