Climate change, poor planning: Deciphering Assam's rising flood ferocity

Every year at this time, Assam is entirely paralysed by unrelenting rain, which causes landslides and floods whose strength has only risen, causing more people to perish and more property to be destroyed. Although floods have historically occurred in the Brahmaputra and Barak river basins, experts have noted that the unprecedented destruction of recent years can be largely attributed to inadequate flood control measures, population pressure, and the shrinking of water bodies, unchecked construction, and misguided development strategies.

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According to environmental scientist Dr. Partha Jyoti Das, the devastating floods in May and June have affected larger areas this time around than they have in former years, and the early-monsoon deluge's toll has never been this severe. One of the factors contributing to the state's increasing damage is the growing population and construction in flood-prone areas. Widespread destruction has been brought on in several locations by embankment breaches. Additionally, he added, frequent flash floods give people little time to secure their lives and property.

According to the environmentalist, the vulnerable population occasionally does not receive flood predictions and early warnings, leaving them with no time to prepare. "Drainage congestion in low-lying areas, which is a result of rapidly changing land-use practices, the fast pace of urbanisation and expansion of human habitat all around, at the cost of natural waterways, have also intensified the flood situation," Das insisted.

According to a spokesperson for the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, the latest wave of floods, which the northeastern state is still dealing with, has killed 174 people, destroyed crops on 2,35,845.74 hectares, and left 90 lakh people in need (ASDMA).

With roughly 100 tributaries and sub-tributaries feeding them, the Brahmaputra and Barak basins, which together drain 40% of Assam, are two of the most flood-prone regions in the world, according to a Water Resources Department official. He said that several anthropogenic and natural elements contribute to the problems.

The official continued stating that some of the reasons why the flood situation keeps getting worse in Assam are the highly potent monsoons, seismic activities leading to a change in the course of the river and rise in the river bed, and the unique geo-environmental setting of the rivers, particularly the Brahmaputra basin in the Eastern Himalayas.

Additionally, urban flooding in cities like Silchar, Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Barpeta, Nalbari, and Tinsukia exposed the state's drainage infrastructure flaws. Urban flooding is usually caused by clogged drainage systems and small water bodies once used as floodwater discharges, according to river expert Pradip Pujari, speaking to PTI.

Dr Abhik Gupta, a former professor of environmental science at Assam University, agreed with him when he noted that climate change, hill cutting, and deforestation all contribute to the flooding problem. Das claimed that to devise a long-lasting solution, officials are considering various tactics. Water resources engineers have long recommended building massive storage reservoirs, but he insisted that given the geo-ecological fragility of the area, this is risky. 

Non-structural actions like issuing flood warnings can significantly reduce damages. He added that using geosynthetics to strengthen embankments is another possibility under consideration. Das, however, claimed that despite adopting all practical methods to lessen the scourge, people could still have to deal with floods, at least to a certain amount, as technical fixes have some limitations versus natural processes. He continued with the search for a workable technological solution, reducing vulnerability and building resilience while accounting for the impact of climate change should be at the centre of flood management.

(With inputs from PTI)