NEW DELHI: Come monsoon and Assam braces for a complete disruption of life every year. This year has been no exception. As many as 118 people have died in the devastating floods that have affected 32 of the state’s 36 districts while adversely impacting 54.5 lakh people since April.
Last week, 31 people died across Assam and Meghalaya in the incessant rains that also triggered landslides. There has been widespread devastation in Nagaon, Hojai, Cachar and Darrang, but the worst-affected has been the techie town of Silchar in the Barak Valley where the situation is said to be grim. Landslides were reported in Dima-Hasao, Goalpara, Morigaon and Kamrup.
While Assam, alongside Meghalaya, has taken the brunt of the deluge this year, Bihar has also experienced flood-like situations. Although the intensity and the devastation there this time is nowhere near Assam, flooding in Bihar is a regular phenomenon that leaves a trail of massive destruction in its wake.
Another state where floods cause heavy human as well as economic losses every year is Jammu and Kashmir. So why do these states see recurrent floods?
ASSAM
As of June 19, Assam recorded 53.4 mm rainfall. The cumulative rainfall in the first two weeks of this month was 528.5 mm, which is an excess of 109 per cent.
Factors responsible
Environmentalists and climate change risk analysts ascribe 3 main reasons why Assam has been witnessing annual floods and consequent devastations. Climate change, unchecked construction activities & rapid industrialisation have increased the frequency of extreme weather events
Govt response
There has been little or patchy flood vulnerability mapping, NDRF sources said, while adding that the Centre is considering formulating a mitigation policy
This was decided in a meeting chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah and officials of relevant ministries and departments held early this month
Poor planning
According to Abinash Mohanty, Programme Lead at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, Assam has been experiencing “high rates of landscape disruption” coupled with “no climate-proof landscape planning”. There has been neglect in maintaining and developing wetlands, which are “shock absorbers”.
For years, there has been rampant and unplanned development. While urbanisation can’t be checked, the planning and execution of development plans, with on-ground “climate-proof infrastructure”, has been tardy Mohanty said, the “adaptive capacity” of the admn, including state govt and its disaster management officials, has historically “been low compared to risk landscape”
BIHAR
At least 33 people have died in the state in this year’s flood. The floods in Bihar occurred in two spells – in June and August 2021. In Bhagalpur, one of the worst-hit districts, the Ganga’s highest flood level (HFL) was recorded at 34.75 mts compared to 34.72 mts in 2016. At Hathida in Patna, the Ganga’s HFL was 43.33 mts. At other locations, the Ganga flowed at 50.38 mts.
Poor infra to blame
The devastation wrought by last year’s heavy rainfall was the result of “mal-adaptation in infrastructure planning”. The weak embankments along the Kosi river, environmentalists said, which burst to cause last year’s floods, constitute a prime example of “poor engineering”.
Jammu & Kashmir
A few hours of heavy rainfall is followed by a flash floods and landslide in the state. Climate change has been a factor here also, like in case of many other such disasters. The rivers in mountainous regions have low carrying capacity because of their narrow course and silted beds. As a result, water levels in these rivers rise very fast in case of excessive rains, flooding the hills quickly. That leaves little time for evacuation and has a cascading impact on the entire infrastructure, snapping communications and power supply.