Gauhati High Court investigates mining links to Assam floods

The Gauhati High Court has admitted a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) alleging that unscientific coal mining in Nagaland and illegal sand and stone mining in Assam’s Dikhow river aggravated recent devastating floods. The petition, filed by former Assam Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia, characterizes the July floods as a “man-made disaster” rather than a natural calamity.

According to the petition, open-cast coal mining in Nagaland’s Mon, Mokokchung, and Wokha districts may have impacted downstream areas in Assam. The floods in districts such as Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat, and Golaghat reportedly claimed over 100 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. The litigation also seeks to examine whether water releases from the Doyang Hydro Electric Project contributed to the flooding and calls for better coordination between Assam and Nagaland authorities.

Saikia alleges that the government ignored previous court directions from 2019 and 2022 to halt illegal mining in the Dikhow riverbed and establish a specialized Mines and Minerals Task Force Battalion. The court has requested replies from the governments of Assam and Nagaland, along with other concerned authorities, by November 3.