No Confirmation: Himanta Sarma Clarifies 'Cloudburst Caused Floods' Remark

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday clarified that the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has not reported any cloudburst in Nagaland, revising his earlier remarks in which he had linked the devastating floods in parts of Upper Assam to a cloudburst in the neighbouring state.Addressing a press conference on the flood situation, Sarma said that although there was no official confirmation of a cloudburst, several districts of Nagaland and adjoining parts of Upper Assam witnessed exceptionally heavy rainfall during July, with some areas recording nearly 500 per cent above-normal rainfall.He said Charaideo district received around 490 per cent above-normal rainfall, while Nagaland's Mon, Mokokchung and Wokha districts recorded rainfall between 435 and 490 per cent above the seasonal average. The unprecedented rainfall led to a massive flow of water downstream, triggering severe flooding in Sivasagar and Charaideo districts.The clarification comes days after Sarma, in an exclusive interaction with the NDTV network, had said that a cloudburst in parts of Nagaland had caused the worst flooding in three districts of Assam. He had then stated that the sudden surge of water from Nagaland inundated Sivasagar, Charaideo and another affected district, while several other districts experienced partial flooding.On Friday, the Chief Minister said IMD had not classified the weather event as a cloudburst, but maintained that the scale of rainfall was extraordinary and was the primary reason behind the flood situation.According to the state government, the floods have claimed 31 lives so far, including 21 in Sivasagar and 10 in Charaideo. Relief, rescue and rehabilitation operations are continuing as the flood situation gradually improves in the affected districts.