Massive Landslide In Arunachal Pradesh Washes Away Highway Linking China Border

A portion of National Highway-313 caved in due to a landslide triggered by heavy rain in Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday, disrupting traffic movement, an official said. The massive landslide in Arunachal Pradesh washed away the highway linking the India-China border, following which the state government issued a travel advisory following the landslide.

Surface communication to Dibang Valley district in the northeastern state was snapped after a stretch of the vital highway, connecting Roing in lower Dibang Valley with Anini was damaged, an official said on Thursday. The road between Hunli and Anini, the Dibang Valley district headquarters, was damaged due to the landslide on Wednesday night, he said.

Restoration will take at least three days, the government said.

The road between Hunli and Anini, the Dibang Valley district headquarters, was damaged due to the landslide on Wednesday night, he said. Dibang Valley is a district bordering China.

According to authorities, the district was hit by heavy landslides between Hunli and Anini on the National Highway-33 on Wednesday due to heavy rainfall over the past few days.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu wrote on X that instructions have been issued to restore the connectivity at the earliest as this road connects Dibang Valley to the rest of the country.

The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) has mobilized resources to repair the damaged stretches of the highway, as per an NDTV report, which also said that there is no scarcity of food and other essential items currently.

NH-33 is a key highway considered lifeline for the residents of the district and the army.

“The district administration has deployed workers and adequate machinery to repair the road on a war footing. It will take a couple of days to restore traffic movement,” Anini additional deputy commissioner (ADC) Dhurbajyoti Borah said.

He, however, said that efforts were being made so that small vehicles could ply on the road by Thursday evening.