Acutely vulnerable Assam needs a plan

While there is deficient rainfall in peninsular India, almost the entire north-east region, comprising Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura, has been devastated by excessive monsoon rains. Assam has 30 of its 35 districts under water. The Brahmaputra and the Barak and their tributaries are all overflowing and over 100 people have lost their lives in landslides and floods. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced, livelihoods have been affected and much property destroyed. The floods have inundated national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, too. The intensity of the rains and the fury of the floods has made it difficult to undertake relief operations.

Floods are an annual feature in the northeast, and in Assam, plans are announced to prevent or reduce floods every year. But the situation has turned worse year by year. This year, Assam received about twice its average June rainfall in the first three weeks of the month. The rainfall for March-May was 62% more than usual. Apart from increasing rainfall, there are other factors that have made the state very vulnerable. Natural wetlands have been destroyed and sewers and other discharge systems are dysfunctional. Deforestation and mining in the hills have caused excessive flow of water and landslides. Growth of urban centres like Guwahati, which are situated on the banks of rivers, has disrupted the traditional ecology. Assam has for long depended on embankments on rivers to keep the rising waters in check. But most of the embankments are in disrepair. There is a view that embankments are not the best means to stave off floods as they only shift the threat to less protected areas.

Climate change has complicated and worsened the situation. Climate patterns in the Himalayan region have been undergoing changes in recent years. The rainfall is sometimes excessive and at other times deficient. Assam is among the states that are most vulnerable to climate change, according to many assessments. Experts have called for priority to be given to the state for adaptation interventions.The state’s allocation for flood management has actually come down in the last two years. Flood prevention and management strategies are complex, encompassing many areas like hydrology, urban development, ecology, technology and social policy and communications. Assam and other flood-prone states should take urgent steps to meet the challenge of this recurrent scourge.