Dibrugarh: A citizens’ organisation from Dibrugarh has approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the Centre to order a high-level investigation into the recent floods in Upper Assam. The group has alleged that unchecked illegal mining activities, rather than natural factors alone, significantly contributed to the scale of the disaster.
The Dibrugarh Zila Nagarik Sanmilan submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister through the district administration. The document was handed over to District Development Commissioner Nandita Baruah by the organisation’s president Sarat Chandra Neog, general secretary Uttam Kumar Chetia, and secretaries Pabitra Buragohain and Partha Pratim Bhuyan.
In its memorandum, the organisation claimed that the severe flooding witnessed in districts such as Sivasagar, Charaideo, Nazira, and other parts of Upper Assam cannot be attributed solely to heavy rainfall or cloudburst events. Instead, it alleged that years of illegal and unscientific extraction of coal, sand, and stone in the neighbouring hill regions had weakened the area’s ecological balance and intensified the impact of the floods.
According to the organisation, large-scale open-cast coal mining in Nagaland’s hill areas, combined with extensive sand and stone extraction from the Dikhow River and widespread deforestation, has altered natural drainage patterns over the years. It alleged that abandoned mining pits collected rainwater and later released massive volumes of water during intense rainfall, worsening downstream flooding in Assam.
The memorandum further claimed that repeated complaints regarding the alleged illegal mining activities had failed to produce meaningful action. It alleged that the involvement of influential individuals, including certain public representatives, prevented effective enforcement against those responsible.
Referring to legal proceedings on the issue, the organisation stated that former MLA Debabrata Saikia had earlier filed two Public Interest Litigations (PILs) before the Gauhati High Court after administrative efforts allegedly failed to curb the activities. It claimed that although the High Court had directed the State Government to take appropriate action, the alleged illegal operations continued. Copies of the PILs and supporting documents were submitted along with the memorandum.
Seeking Central intervention, the Dibrugarh Zila Nagarik Sanmilan has demanded the constitution of an independent inquiry committee to examine the alleged role of illegal mining in the recent floods and identify those responsible. It has also urged the Government of India to declare the recent floods in Upper Assam a “national disaster” in view of the extensive damage caused.
The memorandum additionally raised concerns over the under-construction 186 MW Dikhu Hydroelectric Project in Nagaland’s Mon district. The organisation alleged that the project may have aggravated the flood situation and called for a review of the project as well as other major hydroelectric developments in the hill regions bordering Assam. It argued that comprehensive environmental assessments and preventive measures are necessary to minimise future flood risks.
Concluding its appeal, the organisation requested the Prime Minister to order an impartial investigation into the causes of the floods and implement long-term measures aimed at preventing similar disasters in the region.
