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Assam is the land of two mighty rivers – Brahmaputra and Barak. Each year these two
rivers and their tributaries cause floods in vast areas of Assam which leads to human
misery and devastation of nature. This year, more than 30 districts including lower and
upper Assam have been severely affected.
Several factors including natural and artificial are responsible for the re-occurrence of
floods in Assam. First and foremost, Assam lies in the heart of monsoon belt and so gets
overburdened with rainfall every rainy season. Due to this, the river along with its
tributaries such as Subansiri, Manas, Kopili, Jia-Bhoroli, etc. get flooded and their
banks overflow flooding the vast plain of the state. Secondly, the existence of long
ranges of mountains on its northern and eastern boundaries compels the water to flow
down into the vast plain causing the rivers to swell. Thirdly, every year due to heavy
natural as well as artificial land sliding, Assam loses hundreds of kilometres of its land
area. This soil erosion makes the river shallow, which later helps in the creation of a
heavy flood.
There are also human-induced factors like destruction of wetlands, deforestation, and
encroachment on river banks. Most cities and towns suffer due to poor urban planning.
Drainage congestion due to man-made embankments is one of the crucial factors
responsible for urban floods that can be visible every year in cities like Guwahati,
Chennai, and Mumbai.
The havoc caused by the flood in Assam is beyond describable. The destruction of
properties and loss of life is visible every passing year. Lakhs are rendered homeless,
standing crops are damaged and roads and communication links are interrupted, hence
affecting the economic condition of the state. Some of the worst affected areas include
MSME sector, tea industry, wildlife and biodiversity of Assam. Increase in rhino
poaching during flood is one of the alarming factors for the decline of rhino population
in Assam. The floods also increase the spread of water-borne diseases like cholera,
typhoid, dysentery, etc.
No doubt, the government has taken several flood control measures to lessen the
menace and effects of flood in the state. Immediate assistance of NDRF and SDRF, flood
relief measures including setting up of relief camps, free distribution of food, clothes,
medicines, cash compensation for the lost property, etc. are undertaken by the
government. The chief flood control measure has been the construction of
embankments along the banks of rivers in the effected areas. In recent years, India
signed a treaty with China in which the latter has agreed to provide hydrological data of
the river Brahmaputra during monsoon.
Besides, an artificial flood is actually human creation. Therefore to reduce it, houses
should be built scientifically along with proper urban planning. Jamming of water
drains, garbage in ponds should be mitigated by proper policies and through the
imposition of strict rules.
Perhaps the best solution lies in the recently proposed plan of interlinking the rivers of
India whereby the extra water of Brahmaputra and its tributaries can be diverted to dry
land areas of western and southern India at the minimum cost of marine environment
and ecological degradation.