Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday dismissed claims that a lack of timely inter-state coordination exacerbated the recent devastating floods in Upper Assam districts. While visiting flood-affected areas in Charaideo, the Chief Minister asserted that the Assam government was informed by Nagaland within minutes of the cloudburst occurring in Nagaland's Mon district, but stressed the 's limited impact on preventing the downstream inundation.
Speaking to reporters, Sarma clarified that the Nagaland government promptly communicated with Assam’s Chief Secretary within just 10 minutes of the cloudburst incident. However, he argued that this rapid notification offered little practical value in mitigating the disaster. "The Nagaland government informed the Chief Secretary of Assam within 10 minutes of the cloudburst in Nagaland's Mon district, but what is the value of that? We had barely an hour and a half, and by then the water had already started flowing downstream," the Chief Minister stated, highlighting the swift and overwhelming nature of the floodwaters.
Sarma's remarks come in response to recent criticisms leveled by Assam Congress president and Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi. Gogoi had publicly questioned the efficacy of coordination mechanisms between Assam and its neighbouring northeastern states, particularly Nagaland. He alleged that an absence of prompt communication regarding the upstream cloudburst was a significant factor in worsening the flood crisis experienced across Upper Assam.
The Chief Minister's explanation underscores the formidable challenges posed by sudden natural calamities like cloudbursts, where the speed of water flow often outpaces even the quickest communication efforts, making pre-emptive action nearly impossible in the immediate path of the deluge.
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