Guwahati, July 29 (IANS) The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation on Wednesday urged the Centre to declare the devastating floods in Assam a “national calamity”, alleging that the disaster was aggravated not only by heavy rainfall but also by unchecked mining, environmental degradation, and failing flood management infrastructure.
In a statement issued by its Central Committee, the party said that seven districts, Sivasagar, Charaideo, Golaghat, Jorhat, Nagaon, Sonitpur, and Kamrup, have been severely affected by the latest wave of flooding, with around 75 people losing their lives and thousands of residents impacted.
The CPI(ML) claimed that Sivasagar district has emerged as the worst-hit area, with extensive damage to homes, agricultural land, and public infrastructure. It described the floods as among the most severe witnessed in Assam in recent years, despite the state’s recurring monsoon floods caused by the Brahmaputra and its tributaries.
While acknowledging that heavy rainfall in neighbouring Nagaland and adjoining regions contributed to the flooding, the party alleged that the scale of devastation had been exacerbated by large-scale mining along the Assam–Nagaland border, including the extraction of stone and sand from riverbeds.
The statement further blamed upstream deforestation, ageing and weakened embankments, and climate change-induced extreme rainfall events for worsening the disaster. It argued that these factors had transformed a recurring natural hazard into a major humanitarian crisis.
Expressing solidarity with flood-affected families, the CPI(ML) demanded that the Union government immediately declare the floods a national calamity and mobilise all available resources for relief, rescue, and rehabilitation operations.
The party also called for comprehensive compensation for affected people, including financial assistance for families of the deceased, treatment of the injured, reconstruction of damaged homes, restoration of livelihoods, and long-term rehabilitation measures.
In addition, the CPI(ML) sought the constitution of a high-level scientific commission to investigate the underlying causes of the disaster and recommend sustainable, long-term strategies to mitigate the impact of floods in Assam.
The demand comes amid continuing flood and erosion challenges across several parts of the state, where authorities have been engaged in relief and rescue operations as water levels remain high in many areas.
–IANS
tdr/dan
