Assam, the land through which the mighty river the Brahmaputra flows, is among the eight north-eastern states of India and is widely known for the ‘Assam Tea’ that makes an appearance in almost every cafe in the country and is known among culinary enthusiasts across the world. It is an unquestionable fact that the North-Eastern states have always been partially alienated from the rest of the country, and this manifests in a much larger scale in the way the crisis that is Assam Floods have been neglected over the years by national media and authorities. Floods have been an annual occurrence in the state of Assam, and have been so for more than twenty years, and although severe floods have been witnessed before in 1988, 1998, 2004, 2012, etc, this wave of flood in 2020, which experts say is only the first wave of many, may become even more severe. The severity of this year’s floods and perhaps it’s coupling with the global pandemic of Covid-19 has drawn out support from the International media, sports clubs, and celebrities, which were also followed by some attempts of the National media to cover the whole situation, which it had been completely neglecting before.
How has the flood of 2020 affected Assam so far?
The landscape of Assam which often in its glory shows off the green hills and blue skies, the clear waters of the many rivers that flows through it, have been significantly changed if not totally altered by the heavy floods. A number of pictures and videos have surfaced on the internet which provides a gloomy picture of roads leading to a vast sea of water, roads surrounded by water on both sides, people living on the streets in temporary shelters along with their domesticated animals, etc. In the flood-affected districts, most homes have been completely submerged underwater and many others have had water gush into their homes, the water level rising day by day. People have been forced to abandon their ancestral homes and properties, and although this happens every year, it’s never quite easy to move away from one’s properties given the unpredictable nature of the situation. Most of the people have also abandoned their vehicles like motorbikes and cars, as boats have become the principal and only mode of transportation in these areas. In fact, carpenter shops have begun making boats, selling each boat for around 6000 Rs (approx).
The State Disaster Management Authority has stated that around 2543 villages are completely submerged and more than 1,22,573.16 hectares of crop area has been completely destroyed, snatching away people’s livelihood and inducing a scarcity of food, altogether. Distraught people from such areas have been repeatedly pleading for aid, and while some has come in the form of relief camps, and charity donations, the larger problem of such events occurring every year looms large.
The situation in Assam still remains grave and is likely to become worse in the following months, as more rain showers are expected to arrive. As of 29th July 2020, about 107 people have been killed as a result of the disastrous floods that have affected over 50 lakh people (approx.) across all 33 districts. Some districts have been more affected by others, Goalpara has so far been the most affected district closely followed by Morigaon. Diphu, in the Karbi Anglong district of Assam, has also been devastated by floods especially after 28th July, with water gushing into people’s homes and also the Diphu Medical College, which was only newly constructed. Locals have blamed the situation on the poor drainage system, filling up of wetlands and unplanned road construction.
The wildlife of the state, which populates the Kaziranga National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Pabitora Wildlife Sanctuary and several such sanctuaries, have been as adversely affected by the ongoing floods. The Kaziranga National park which is known as the largest breeding site of the one-horned rhinoceros (boasting about 2200 population of rhinos) was at a point submerged up to 95% and the inundation still has not completely receded. The Pabitora wildlife sanctuary also continues to remain inundated. While the worst that has come off it is the death of around 225 animals as of yet, that includes 15 of one-horned rhinoceroses, 4 elephants, 1 tiger, and 178 hog deers, the situation for these animals continue to remain grave. As their habitats remain submerged underwater, most of these animals have to flee in search of higher ground. It is almost an annual scenario, as the annual floods constantly bring into threat the habitats of these animals, most of which move into the nearby hills of the Karbi Anglong district crossing the NH-37 Highway. Many animals also stray into nearby villages, looking for food and shelter. For instance, a tiger was seen taking shelter at a nearby house. Many other pictures of animals have sprung up, which shows their miserable and helpless condition. A rhino was seen taking a rest in the highway, while many herds of elephants have frequently been seen crossing roads and looking for food in nearby empty villages.
What causes Annual Floods?
While it is perhaps impossible to root these annual floods into some concrete causes, the most probable causes seem to be an amalgamation of both natural and man-made factors :
- The river BRAHMAPUTRA: The river brings in a large number of sediments and discharges from Tibet and other regions, and when this silt is deposited in Assam, it leads to erosion and floods, as the state is completely surrounded by hills.
- HEAVY RAINFALL: The North-eastern region has always received heavy rain showers averaging up to 2480mm to 6350 mm. Some parts, however, witness more frequent and heavier rain showers, like Arunachal Pradesh, parts of Upper Assam, Bhutan, etc, which consequently leads to flowing of water to Lower Assam and the resultant floods.
- SEISMIC ZONE: Assam is also a seismic zone and therefore, the character of the Brahmaputra remains quite unstable. In fact, the 1950 earthquake in Assam, which was extreme in nature, led to the rising of the riverbed of the Brahmaputra to up to 1.5m.
- MAN-MADE CAUSES: Further, manmade causes like human inhabitation near the riverbeds, deforestation and construction of seemingly weak embankments that fail to hold the forces of water, all contribute to the annual Assam floods.
What can be done?
As of now, about 500 relief camps and distribution centres have been established by the state authorities, to help the displaced populations. Donations in the form of food supplies, medicines and medical supplies, and other items of importance have been donated by NGOs, and some voluntary reliefs have also been provided. The government has set up the Chief Minister Relief Fund, for voluntary donations of money to help the aggrieved. Rescue operations have also been conducted, for humans and animals alike.
Helpful as all this may be, however they still have failed to address some bigger problems. For instance, one of the most important products of need is safe drinking water. Ironical as it may sound, being covered with water all around and still having none to drink, safe drinking water remains one of the most important basic necessities, failing to procure which would even lead to greater health problems. The situation of Flood this year has also been worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic, as the norms of social distancing and basic hygiene is difficult to follow under these circumstances. Moreover, most often the flood-affected people have refused to go into the relief camps, as they see a possibility of testing corona positive, living in such cramped spaces with thousands of other people.
Conclusion
Therefore, while the Assam Flood of 2020 like its predecessors has failed to acquire much importance in the eyes of National media and authorities, it’s severity cannot be neglected. The need of the hour is however not just a temporary solution in the form of faulty and weak embankments that the government has been doing so far, which rather than helping, only accelerate the situation. Many experts on the matter have provided more enduring solutions like a basin-wide approach, flood-pain zoning like in the US, etc. The central government which in it’s 10th Five Year plan had allocated only a minimum of 22 crores for 10 flood management programmes, still continues to neglect the situation of Assam floods and the same can be said for Indian celebrities, mainstream media houses, etc. It cannot be said, however, that whether the National Media and authorities fail to understand the gravity of the situation, or it’s the age-old story of North-east India’s struggle in getting the same opportunities as the mainland India.
