The massive flood in eastern Assam, India, due to heavy rainfall in the entire zone, was worsened by man-made environmental degradation in the hilly terrains of Nagaland. The unprecedented rains (up to 137 mm, but not identified as a cloudburst by the India Meteorological Department) in Assam, Nagaland, along with Arunachal Pradesh during 18–22 July, had swollen all major rivers in the locality, namely Dikhow, Disang, Darika, Dhansiri, Jhanji, Bhogdoi, etc which carried a sudden wave of running water with filth. The volume of muddy water went beyond the capacity of riverbeds and finally breached embankments in many places. Nagaland government, soon after observing heavy rains in the districts of Mon, Mokokchung and Longleng, warned the Assam administration about a possible overflow. But the Assam State Disaster Management Authority probably failed to read the seriousness of the lines. The lack of an efficient internal warning system for adopting quick preventive measures and unprepared district administrations later amplified the disaster.
Now the floodwaters start receding and thus reducing the number of affected people to around 1.25 lakh in the flood-hit districts of Charaideo, Sivasagar, Golaghat and Jorhat, where the death toll rises to nearly 90. Over 200 villages remain inundated, and thousands of families are taking shelter in relief camps. The disaster damaged thousands of hectares of cropland and washed away lakhs of domestic animals, with poultry birds belonging to the indigenous families. As necessary funds are released by the Union government in New Delhi and private parties start pouring money for the cause, various agencies were already engaged in rescue, relief and rehabilitation initiatives. The local people from Assam and many parts of India also marched to the affected districts with relief materials within their capacities.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma reached the devastated localities once again, interacted with the families and reviewed the relief operations and rehabilitation initiatives on the ground. The government has already announced various welfare and rehabilitation schemes for the affected people. An interim assistance of Rs 15,000 was announced to over 75,000 families and ex-gratia payments for the fatalities up to Rs 9 lakh per family. The government officials will start visiting households from 9 August to assess the permanent damages. Sarma directed the district administrations to take necessary actions to prevent water-borne and vector-borne diseases once the flood water recedes. He also assured a series of health camps in the flood-affected areas.
Amid the chaos, senior Assam Congress leader Debabrat Saikia made public statements that the unchecked stone-sand mining in Dikhow river disrupted its natural flow and thus contributed to extensive soil erosion in the hills that finally worsened the flood in downstream areas. The former opposition leader in the State legislative assembly also raised the matter relating to large-scale extraction of stone-sands from the riverbed. He even approached the Gauhati High Court, following which the court on 21 October 2019 directed the Assam government to constitute a dedicated mine & minerals task force battalion and a high-level committee for river conservation, but the government paid no visible attention.
Many river experts also commented that the large-scale loss of forest cover in the upstream Naga hills triggered by unscientific mining activities accelerated the flow of rainwater with silt during intense rainfall, which resulted in the worst flood for Assam. The coal mining activities in Nagaland were not a hidden issue as their legislators discussed the menace in their legislative assembly. Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio, while participating in such discussions, admitted that the unique land holding system for Naga families does not allow any preventive government action. Mentionable is that under Article 371(A), the land belongs to the people of Nagaland and is governed by customary laws of each tribe. Taking advantage of it, many owners allow open-cast or rat-hole coal mining in their lands, which ultimately degrades the environment in different shapes and sizes.
Along with the government agencies, a significant number of social organizations have stepped into the ongoing rescue and relief operations. A large group of volunteers belonging to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Sewa Bharati have joined the relief work and distributed essential materials like tarpaulins, candles, mosquito-repelling coils, dry food items, and bottles of drinking water, along with soaps and medicines directly to the affected families.
Even the journalist community in Assam has shown sensitivity to gather relief items and distribute them among the stranded people in flood-affected locations. But the apprehensions remain: if more rains hit the upstream areas of Nagaland in the coming weeks, the disaster may repeat in the affected localities of Assam. Then, rehabilitation for thousands of indigenous families in eastern Assam will emerge as a real challenge to the government.
With a pragmatic government policy, the loss of human lives and properties can be minimized. But unless the Nagaland government is taken into confidence by the Central government to deal with the environmental degradation in their localities, Assam may face the problem repeatedly. Now such an inter-state approach becomes more essential for the entire region. Moreover, the low-lying areas must be accorded scientific embankments, well-planned wetlands, and improved drainage systems to combat the disaster to a larger extent. A thorough investigation to find out irregularities and fix accountability on individuals will also be necessary to address the issue pragmatically.
