Nagaland miners' body cautions against blame game in Assam floods

A Nagaland-based coal miners' association has urged the people of Assam and Nagaland to avoid attributing the recent devastating floods and landslips to any single activity or community. The Tuli Area Coal Mining Contractors' Association (TACMCA) called for restraint in making unverified claims and stressed the need to examine the multiple factors that may have contributed to the extensive loss of lives, homes, livelihoods, property, and public infrastructure in both states.

Tuli, a town in Nagaland's Mokokchung district, lies close to the Assam border. The coal belt spanning the inter-state boundary runs from Nagaland's Wokha district through Mokokchung to Longleng, Mon, and further into Arunachal Pradesh.

Official figures from disaster management agencies in Assam and Nagaland indicate that floods in Assam and landslips in Nagaland have claimed at least 115 lives between April and August 14 this year.

The floods have triggered a political reaction in Assam. Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi has blamed unregulated and unscientific sand, stone, and coal mining along the inter-state border for the unprecedented flooding in Sivasagar and Charaideo districts. He claimed that water accumulated in Nagaland's coal pits aggravated the situation downstream.

The TACMCA, however, rejected such theories. The association pointed to exceptionally heavy rainfall recorded in Nagaland on July 18 as the primary cause of unusually high water flow and flash floods, particularly in Longleng, Mokokchung, Mon, and Wokha districts. It said that extreme weather events are often the result of several interconnected factors and should not be attributed to a single activity or community.

The association also noted that Nagaland itself suffered extensive damage from floods and landslips, even though the focus of attention has largely been on Assam. “Natural calamities do not recognise State boundaries or communities,” it said, appealing to people in both states not to point fingers at each other.

The TACMCA warned that accusations against an entire state, community, organisation, or group without established evidence could create divisions and add to the distress of those already affected by the disaster. It referred to the shared rivers, hills, forests, roads, markets, and social ties that bind Assam and Nagaland.

“We should help each other, understand each other, and stand together during adversities,” the association said.