Guwahati: Former Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly and ex-Nazira MLA Debabrata Saikia has alleged that the recent devastation caused by the Dikhow river is the result of years of illegal stone and sand mining, coupled with the state’s failure to implement directions issued by the Gauhati High Court.
In a social media post accompanied by satellite images shared on social media, Saikia claimed that extensive extraction of stones and sand from the Dikhow riverbed had fundamentally altered the river’s ecology, contributing to the severe flooding witnessed this monsoon in Nazira and adjoining areas.
He described the Dikhow, historically known as the “Vashistha Ganga”, as a river whose natural flow had been regulated by stones acting as “brakes”. According to him, the removal of these natural barriers has made the river shallower and wider, increasing its vulnerability to flooding and erosion.
Saikia alleged that despite widespread knowledge of illegal mining activities, authorities had failed to act because of the influence of those benefiting from the trade.
The Congress leader also referred to a public interest litigation (PIL No. 62/2019) that he filed before the Gauhati High Court in 2019 seeking action against illegal riverbed mining and mineral smuggling. He said the petition had warned that continued extraction of stones from the Dikhow river would disturb its ecological balance, alter its course and increase the risk of flooding and erosion in Nazira and Sivasagar.
According to Saikia, the Gauhati High Court, on October 21, 2019, directed the state government to constitute a dedicated Mines and Minerals Task Force Battalion under the Department of Mines and Geology to curb illegal mining. The court also called for a high-powered committee to protect the river’s ecosystem and prevent changes in its course.
However, he alleged that the government failed to implement these directions, leading to the filing of a contempt petition in 2021. Instead of constituting a separate task force, the state government later informed the court through a review petition that the existing forest department machinery was adequate to deal with the issue.
Saikia further claimed that officials of the Water Resources Department had also flagged the risks. He said an inspection carried out on January 12, 2022, by the Assistant Executive Engineer of the Nazira Water Resources Sub-Division near Bamunpukhuri Tea Estate warned that continued stone and sand mining could alter the Dikhow’s course and cause extensive damage to surrounding areas.
He said he had repeatedly raised the issue in the Assam Assembly, including in March 2022, and had written to the state’s Environment and Forest Minister in June 2024 warning of the consequences of unchecked mining along the Dikhow.
Sharing satellite images comparing the river and its banks in 2010 and 2024, Saikia alleged that once-green riverbanks had been transformed into “massive pits and ruins” because of illegal extraction.
“The disaster that the people of Nazira are facing today is not an act of nature; it is a man-made disaster caused by the collusion between the government and the mafia,” he alleged.