GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday, July 24, said devastating floods in Upper Assam were caused by unprecedented rainfall over Nagaland and parts of Assam, ruling out any role of cloudbursts or water released from hydroelectric projects.
Addressing a press conference after chairing a review meeting on flood-fighting efforts, Sarma said rainfall between July 18 and July 20 reached extraordinary levels in Nagaland's Mokokchung, Wokha and Mon districts, with Charaideo in Assam also recording exceptionally high rainfall, as Nagaland received 181 per cent above normal rainfall during the period.
He clarified that the IMD confirmed there was no cloudburst, and technically it was an episode of extremely heavy rainfall, though the impact resembled one politically.
Sarma added that unlike conventional floods in Assam, this disaster struck with unprecedented speed, with rainfall beginning around 3 pm on July 18 and widespread devastation already underway by 7 pm, leaving little time for evacuation.
He noted that residents of Charaideo, unlike those in Dhemaji or Lakhimpur, had little prior experience of large-scale flooding, with many climbing onto rooftops as water kept rising even without any embankment breach.
The floods form part of Assam's worst monsoon crisis this year, which has already claimed dozens of lives and affected lakhs of residents across multiple districts, prompting IMD alerts for continued heavy rainfall.