The Nagaland government alerted Assam's Chief Secretary within 10 minutes of the cloudburst in Mon district, but with barely 90 minutes before the floodwaters surged downstream, there was little that could be done, the Chief Minister said.
Responding indirectly to the allegations, Sarma said that the Upper Assam floods were unlike the state's usual monsoon floods, attributing the devastation to a cloudburst in Nagaland that sent a massive surge of water into Assam.
The remarks came a day after Assam Congress president and Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi questioned Assam's coordination with neighbouring northeastern states, particularly Nagaland, alleging that a communication lapse over the upstream cloudburst has led to the flood crisis in Upper Assam.
Large parts of Upper Assam, including Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat and Golaghat districts, were affected as rivers originating in the Naga Hills swelled after the cloudburst.
Adding to concern, the IMD has forecast thunderstorms, lightning, and heavy rainfall across parts of Assam over the next four days, raising fears of further deterioration in the flood situation.
