Every monsoon, Nagaland is reminded of its vulnerability. Landslides, flash floods and road blockages have become recurring tragedies, claiming lives, damaging infrastructure and disrupting daily life. The recent devastation in Mon district, the flood situation in Tuli and the damage reported from several other areas of the state once again highlight a difficult reality: Nagaland’s geography makes it naturally prone to disasters.
The reasons are well known. The State’s steep hills, fragile geological formations, heavily fractured rocks and intense monsoon rainfall create conditions where landslides and floods can occur with devastating consequences. We are reminded of the tragedy of the Mokokchung landslide of May 2005, one of Nagaland’s darkest monsoon disasters, which claimed 15 lives, including five children and four women, and caused extensive damage to property.
However, while the government has a primary responsibility in disaster management, preparedness cannot be the responsibility of the government alone. A disaster-resilient Nagaland requires the active participation of its people, communities and institutions.
First, communities must take disaster warnings seriously. Too often, people continue to live, travel or carry out activities in vulnerable areas despite repeated warnings. Avoiding landslide-prone slopes, riverbanks and unstable roads during extreme weather is not merely a government instruction; it is a matter of personal and community safety.
Second, villages and urban communities must strengthen local disaster preparedness. Every locality should have basic emergency plans, volunteer response teams and communication networks. During disasters, the first responders are often neighbours and community members, not government agencies arriving from distant locations.
Third, citizens must rethink practices that worsen environmental vulnerability. Unplanned construction, cutting of hills without proper assessment, poor drainage systems and careless disposal of waste can increase the risk of landslides and flooding. Development cannot come at the cost of destroying the natural safeguards that protect communities.
Fourth, people must support and cooperate with scientific and administrative efforts. Disaster management requires accurate information, and spreading rumours or unverified claims during emergencies only creates confusion and delays relief efforts.
The government must continue improving early warning systems, infrastructure standards, road planning and disaster response mechanisms. But no government, regardless of resources, can prevent every disaster in a State as geographically challenging as Nagaland.
The question, therefore, is not only what the government should do, but also what society must do. A resilient Nagaland will not be built only through relief packages after disasters occur. It will be built through responsible citizenship, community preparedness and a collective understanding that safety is a shared responsibility.
Natural disasters may be unavoidable, but large-scale human suffering is not. The strength of Nagaland will not be defined merely by its ability to recover from tragedies, but by its willingness to prepare for them before they happen.
