Now Reading: Nagaland miners reject blame for Assam flood devastation
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Nagaland miners reject blame for Assam flood devastation
The Tuli Area Coal Mining Contractors’ Association has urged Assam and Nagaland residents to avoid blaming one State or community for the floods and landslips that killed at least 115 people between…
The Story in Brief
The Tuli Area Coal Mining Contractors’ Association has urged Assam and Nagaland residents to avoid blaming one State or community for the floods and landslips that killed at least 115 people between April and August 14, 2026. The association said exceptionally heavy rain in Nagaland on July 18 caused unusually high water flow and flash floods in four districts. It called for evidence-based assessment of several contributing factors.
Conservationist Jadav Payeng, however, linked coal mining and stone quarrying in Nagaland to the Upper Assam floods, alleging that altered hills sent water directly towards the plains. He also questioned the timing of warnings and opposed reducing the Kaziranga Eco-Sensitive Zone from 10 km to 1 km. Assam’s wider assessment is still examining rainfall, tributaries and other factors.
The Indian Opinion
The lazy narrative that either Nagaland’s miners or Assam’s authorities alone caused this disaster is not supported by the accounts presented. The miners’ association points to exceptional rainfall, while Payeng raises serious questions about mining, drainage and warning systems. Both claims need independent hydrological evidence, not political or regional finger-pointing. The useful test is simple: can rainfall, land-use and flood-flow data establish how much water reached Assam from altered mining areas?
Sources (2): assamtribune.com, thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
