54 deaths, over 18 lakh people affected: Why Assam is so prone to devastating floods

Fatal floods hit Assam yet again this year, causing 54 deaths and affecting 18.94 lakh people in 28 districts, as per the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA). 2,930 villages in the state are currently underwater. An area of 43338.39 hectares of cropland has been submerged in the flood-hit areas of Assam. Water levels of seven rivers -- Beki, Manas, Pagladiya, Puthimari, Jia Bharali, Kopili and Brahmaputra – is above the danger level mark in many sites. 373 relief camps in 7 districts are filled with 1,08,104 flood-affected people currently. The Indian Army`s Gajraj Corps have been deployed in flood-relief operations since Thursday.

The problem of flood and erosion in Assam is “most acute” and “singularly different” from other Indian states in terms of the extent and duration of flooding and magnitude of the erosion caused by it, as per the state government’s official site on water resources.

Floods cause Assam a lose of around Rs 200 crore annually. Some of the worst financial losses were sustained in 1998 (Rs 500 crore) and 2004 (Rs 771 crore).

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) shifting flood-affected people in the Bongaigaon district of Assam. | Photo: ANI

History of floods in Assam

Since independence, Assam has been hit by major floods several times in 1954, 1962, 1972, 1977, 1984, 1988, 1998, 2002, 2004 and 2012. Three to four waves of floods inundate the flood-prone regions of the state nearly every year.

Why Assam is so prone to floods?

Flood-affected people use a banana raft to shift to safe place, in Bajali district of Assam. | Photo: PTI

One of the major reasons for the flooding is the vast network of rivers in Assam, led by the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers which are fed by over 50 tributaries. This leads to a deluge in the monsoon every year.

As per the assessment by Rastriya Barh Ayog (RBA), 38.58% of Assam’s total area is flood-prone. In comparison, this is four times to national average, as the total flood prone area in the country is 10.20%. A stunning fact is that Assam’s flood-prone area accounts for 9.40% of India’s total flood-prone area by itself.

The flood problem of Assam is intensified by flash floods caused by rivers flowing into its plains from neighbouring states of Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. Two such examples were seen in 2004 and 2014 when south bank tributaries of Brahmaputra in lower Assam saw flash floods after cloud burst in Meghalaya. A similar cloud burst in Arunachal in 2001 caused devastating flash floods in Gainadi and Jiadhal rivers.

Apart from the natural causes, experts also say that man-made factors like deforestation and encroachment.