How mighty Brahmaputra and human activities wreak havoc on Assam every year

The Brahmaputra, which is Assam's lifeline at other times, causes widespread misery every monsoon in about 20 of the state's 32 districts

Floods ravage Assam every year during monsoon, damaging property, taking several of lives and leaving the economy of the state in a shambles. This year, more than 110 people have died and 4.53 million affected so far in 32 districts. Recently, at least five animals, including a leopard, were killed in Assam's Kaziranga National Park (KNP). The average annual loss due to floods in Assam is estimated to be around Rs 200 crore, according to Assam's Water Resources Department. The devastation this year is already apparent.

Assam floods 2022: Worst-hit areas

Karimganj, Cachar, Silchar, Karimganj, Kamrup, Darrang, Tamulpur, Udalguri, Dima Hasao, Hojai are among the worst-hit areas.

What is the government doing to manage the situation?

So far, 11,881 people have been safely evacuated and relief materials distributed to affected populations who are not taking shelter in relief camps, through 232 relief distribution centres and temporarily opened sites.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Assam State Disaster Response Fund (ASDRF), fire & emergency services personnel, police forces, and AAPDA Mitra volunteers of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority have been aiding the district administration in efforts to safely evacuate individuals from affected areas of the region.

Why does Assam get flooded every year?

Assam is the land of two mighty river systems centering the Brahmaputra and the Barak. The Brahmaputra, which is Assam’s lifeline in normal times, causes widespread misery every monsoon to about 20 of the state’s 32 districts. Forty per cent of the state is flood-prone. Moreover, the flood situation is worsened in Assam as it receives river water from states like Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya.

Here are some factors that lead to it:

Erosion caused by Brahmaputra and its tributaries

According to the Assam government, damage caused by erosion runs into several hundred crores every year. It has been a serious issue for the past six decades. The annual average loss of land is nearly 8,000 hectares. The width of the Brahmaputra has increased up to 15 km at some places due to bank erosion. The riverine fertile agricultural land of the state is reducing due to erosion. This has a negative impact on Assam's rural economy.

Human intervention

Floods are also caused by Human intervention, such as encroachment on river banks and wetlands, lack of drainage, unplanned urban growth, hill cutting and deforestation. Any unplanned construction in or around the river's natural path is bound to cause disaster.

A report by Down To Earth suggested that companies which are awarded contracts to build embankments by the government, profit from the back-to-back destruction. The report added that an embankment that was reconstructed after getting damaged in the floods in May was breached again in the latest inundation.

Topography plays a vital role

The geographical setting of the region, high-intensity of rainfall of the South West Monsoon, a =nd erosion-prone geographical formations aggravate floods in Assam.

Climate change

Scientists believe that climate change is likely to have made the rains worse. According to a report by AP, the pattern of monsoons, vital for the agrarian economies of India, has been shifting since the 1950s, with longer dry spells interspersed with heavy rain.

The solutions

The Brahmaputra Board, in its master plan for the river in 1982, suggested that dams and reservoirs be built to mitigate floods.

Dams, however, have been problematic. Even as they help regulate the release of flood waters, the release can be beyond the capacity of the channels downstream. The locals and environmentalists have also protested the building of dams as it could lead to displacement and destruction of ecology. Over the years, the government has suspended a number of dam projects.

Embankments

The government relies on building embankments on the river, a solution that environmentalists say is the only interim and ad-hoc measure for short-term mitigation. However, an embankment without bank protection measures faces the risk of being washed away.

What could be a long-term solution?

1. Rejuvenation of wetlands

2. Reconstruction of embankments

3. Decentralised weather forecast

Flood-plain zoning is another important exercise, under which areas are divided based on the vulnerability, and accordingly, certain activities are banned on it like farming, building houses etc.

The fact a region that is flooded regularly should be so unprepared for the latest downpour is surprising. A collective response from the state government, Centre, environmental groups and people could help in addressing the problem at the source.