Flood, dam water aggravate poverty, migration in Assam villages

Although flood is not new in Assam, villagers said the impact was increasing due to unpredictable patterns of rain and release of water from dam.

Kampur (Nagaon, Assam): With all the paddy cultivated in three hectares of land, that she had taken on lease, destroyed by the flood that hit Assam on May 31, Fuleswari Hira looked helpless at Bahakabari village in Nagaon district, situated about 150 kms east of the state capital Guwahati.

Aged about 60, Fuleswari normally gets six quintals of paddy after giving 3.5 quintals to the landowner. This is sufficient to feed her five member family entire year. "This year it will be difficult to run the family," Hira told DH as she sat inside her bamboo-thatched tin-roofed house, half damaged by the deluge. "Flood this year hit us about 10 days ahead, before we could harvest the crops."

"As water increased in just a couple of hours, we had to run with whatever we could," she said. With more than 70 other residents of her village, Hira spent a week in a government school, situated on a high land. As water receded, they were asked to go back home to allow resumption of classes in the school.

But most of them were worried as the flood damaged the crops and houses, a problem that villagers across Assam face due to the flood almost every year. Fuleswari's son Pinku works as a daily wager by driving others' tractors. "Who will plough land now in this flood?" she exclaimed. Chandradhar Deka, another farmer, who also lost his crop, said distress among farmers were growing as floods hit their livelihoods hard, year after year. "What else can we do as there is no work here?" he said.

Paddy crops damaged by flood water at Bahakabari village in Nagaon district.

Dam impact

Although flood is not new in Assam, villagers said the impact was increasing due to unpredictable patterns of rain and release of water from the hydro power project on the Kapili river situated in neighbouring Dima Hasao, a hill district.

"As water comes down the hills, the impact is quick and severe. I have seen flood since childhood but severity has increased in the past several years due to the dam water," Tilemai Hira, aged about 75 years, said. Although the district administration issues early warning, the villagers complained that the information reaches them late. Nagaon was one of the worst hit districts with over one lakh people affected this time.

Chandra Dhar Deka,a flood-affected farmer at Bahakabari village in Nagaon

Pushing migration

As flood hits them hard almost every year and there are no jobs locally, Kusum Hira's husband, Anil left for Hyderabad a few months ago to work as a security guard. Later his son, Karan quit his education in class X and joined his father. They are earning Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 per month now.

Like them, many youths in flood-hit villages quit education midway and move out to cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Guwahati in search of jobs. "About 35 to 40 villagers are working outside now. The number increases every year," Nilotpal Deka, a local youth said. Many girls, who quit education due to poverty and sit idle at home, are married off even before 18, he said.

Over 6.4 lakh people were affected in 21 districts in the first wave of flood this year, between May 31 and June 6.

Districts affected: 21

Worst-hit districts: Cachar, Hailakandi, Nagaon, Sribhumi

Population affected: Over 6.7 lakh

Deaths in flood, landslides: 26

Crop areas hit: 14,977 hectares