Extensive deforestation in the upper reaches of Nagaland intensified the recent floods in Upper Assam, internationally acclaimed river expert Nayan Sharma has said, according to a report by Northeast Today.
Sharma said large-scale forest loss accelerated rainwater runoff during intense rainfall, carrying heavy silt downstream. The deposition raised riverbeds, buried homes and aggravated flooding in Jorhat, Sivasagar and Charaideo districts.
The former IIT Roorkee professor said about 239 mm of rainfall was recorded in Nagaland’s Mon district between July 18 and 20. He said extreme rainfall combined with degraded catchments generated a massive flood hydrograph, sending high-velocity, silt-laden runoff downstream.
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Citing available estimates, Sharma said Nagaland lost nearly 800 sq km of forest cover between 2013 and 2023, with the figure potentially rising further in recent years. He estimated that deforestation may have increased surface runoff and soil erosion by 1.5 to two times during heavy rainfall.
Sharma stressed that protecting and restoring upstream forests is crucial to reducing flood risks and maintaining the ecological stability of river basins across the Northeast.
Assam to discuss flood causes with Nagaland after relief operations: Sarma
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said any formal discussion with Nagaland over the causes of the recent floods in Upper Assam will be held only after relief and rehabilitation efforts are completed, The Assam Tribune reported.
Speaking to reporters after a Cabinet meeting in Dispur on Friday, Sarma said it was not appropriate to discuss accountability while Nagaland was itself dealing with severe flood damage.
“Maybe by September or October, we can meet the Nagaland Chief Minister and discuss the matter. At this stage, we cannot comment because Nagaland is also reeling under floods,” he said.
Sarma said experts and academics were examining the causes and that satellite imagery and scientific assessments would provide greater clarity. He noted that districts including Mon and Mokokchung had suffered extensive damage.
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The Chief Minister had earlier attributed the Assam floods to exceptionally heavy rainfall in Nagaland after the IMD rejected his initial cloudburst claim. Assam later told an Inter-Ministerial Central Team that flooding in Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat and Golaghat was unprecedented and largely linked to heavy rainfall in Nagaland.
Calling for empathy, Sarma said, “We must have empathy for the people of Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and all those suffering from floods across the country.”
“These are not man-made geographical realities. Assam and Nagaland have been placed where they are by nature. We will discuss how it happened, what the solutions are and what can be done in the future, but there has to be a right time for it,” the Assam Tribune reported Sarma as saying.
