Guwahati: Alleging that illegal extraction of coal, stone and other resources triggered the devastating floods in upper Assam districts bordering Nagaland, the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) on Monday said it has “explosive evidence” to support its claim.The organisation demanded a CBI probe after a KMSS delegation visited the worst-hit Bihubar area in Nazira and collected photographs that it said show large-scale illegal coal mining in the hills along the Assam-Nagaland border over several years. The photos were displayed at a news conference.KMSS said the unprecedented damage in upper Assam was the result of prolonged indifference and inaction by political leaders and the govt machinery. Locals in the Nepalikhuli area, where flash floods first hit on the Assam side, have also alleged frequent movement of excavators towards the border hills for mining.At a news conference at its central office in Guwahati on Monday, KMSS alleged that the “collusion” of ministers and MLAs with coal and stone mafias led to the catastrophe in four upper Assam districts — Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat and Golaghat. “Large-scale destruction of the natural environment in the hills is the root cause. The first thing that happened was indiscriminate felling of huge trees. Although the destruction took place across the border in Nagaland, it could not have continued without passing through Assam because all the extracted materials were transported via Assam’s roads,” alleged KMSS general secretary Bidyut Saikia.He said the removal of large trees weakened the natural structure of the hills. “We all know why trees are planted along roadsides — to prevent soil erosion and landslides. Likewise, forests on hills naturally held the soil together. Once those trees were removed, the hills became loose and unstable,” he said.Saikia alleged that coal deposits inside the hills were mined extensively. “The hills were hollowed out the way rats gnaw and burrow into the ground. Miners kept digging deeper and deeper until the hills became hollow from within,” he alleged, adding that the hollowed slopes could no longer absorb or retain rainwater.Experts say unchecked mining, deforestation and barren slopes in nearby hills can significantly intensify downstream flooding. The severity depends on factors such as the scale of mining, terrain and rainfall.“Clearing of forests reduces the land’s capacity to absorb rainwater and increases surface runoff. Exposure of loose soil, which is easily washed away during heavy rainfall, carries massive amounts of sediment into rivers and streams,” said Gauhati University professor of geography Dhrubajyoti Sahariah.
