Assam Government Prioritizes Relief Efforts Amid Flood Discussions with Nagaland
Focus on Relief Before Accountability
File image of Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma (Photo: @himantabiswa/X)
Guwahati, July 31: As concerns mount regarding the impact of heavy rainfall in Nagaland on the recent severe flooding in Upper Assam, the state government announced on Friday that discussions with Nagaland will only commence after the ongoing relief and rehabilitation efforts are concluded.
During a press briefing following a Cabinet meeting at Lok Sewa Bhawan in Dispur, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma emphasized that it would be inappropriate to assign blame or investigate the causes of the floods while Nagaland is still dealing with its own flood crisis.
“Perhaps by September or October, we can arrange a meeting with the Chief Minister of Nagaland to address this issue. At this moment, we cannot make any statements since Nagaland is also suffering from floods,” he stated.
Sarma mentioned that various scholars and specialists are currently analyzing the reasons behind the floods, but the government’s immediate focus remains on providing relief.
“By the time we convene, satellite images and scientific evaluations will offer a clearer understanding of the situation, its future consequences, and potential solutions,” he added.
The Chief Minister pointed out that districts like Mon and Mokokchung in Nagaland have experienced significant destruction, urging that the current priority should be on relief and rehabilitation rather than investigating the flood causes.
“If we divert our attention to those matters now, we will fail to adequately address relief and rehabilitation. Once that phase is completed, we can shift our focus to examining the causes,” he explained to the media.
Initially, Sarma had suggested that a cloudburst in Nagaland's hilly regions was responsible for the floods in Assam. However, after the Indian Meteorological Department clarified that the rainfall recorded in Nagaland's Mon district on July 19 did not constitute a cloudburst, he later attributed the flooding to record rainfall in Nagaland, stating it was “181% above normal.”
On Wednesday, the Assam government informed an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) that the recent floods in Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat, and Golaghat were unprecedented, primarily due to exceptionally heavy rainfall in Nagaland.
The following day, Sarma revealed that his government had proposed a seven-point flood rehabilitation strategy and requested that the floods be recognized as an “atypical, high-intensity, rapid-onset event.”
On Friday, the Chief Minister called for compassion towards all states affected by floods, highlighting that the suffering extends beyond Assam.
“We must empathize with the people of Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, and all those impacted by floods nationwide,” he remarked.
“These are not man-made geographical realities. Assam and Nagaland exist in their current locations due to natural circumstances. We will discuss how this occurred, what solutions exist, and what can be done in the future, but the timing for such discussions must be appropriate,” he concluded.