Explained | Assam’s annual tryst with devastating floods

Floods are an annual occurrence in Assam. In the ongoing wave, lakhs of people have been affected while 1.08 lakh hectares of crops have been damaged.

The story so far: The Brahmaputra Valley that encompasses the Northeast part of India witnesses floods almost every year, leaving behind a tale of death and destruction. Even before the onset of monsoon in Assam this year, incessant rain over the past week has wreaked havoc, with much of Assam submerged, crops destroyed and lakhs displaced.

By June 25, the death toll rose to 118 and the town of Silchar in Cachar district remained submerged for the sixth straight day, according to officials. The total population affected by the floods, however, declined to 33.03 lakh in 28 districts as against the previous day’s figure of 45.34 lakh in 30 districts, a bulletin issued by the Assam State Management Disaster Authority (ASDMA) said.

Nearly 2.7 lakh people, meanwhile, have been evacuated and moved to relief camps. This is the second time in less than a month that Assam has been ravaged by floods. At least 30 people were killed in the State due to floods in May. 

So far, Assam has recorded an excess rainfall of 109 per cent in June. As per the meteorological department, the State has witnessed 528.5 millimetres of actual rainfall against the normal 252.8 millimetres. More than 5,000 villages and croplands have been inundated, with the Brahmaputra river breaching its embankments due to incessant rainfall. The river is presently flowing above the danger level at Dhubri, Goalpara, Guwahati, Tezpur,and Neamatighat.

Besides the Brahmaputra, rivers Beki, Manas, Pagladiya, Puthimari, Kopili, Subansiri are flowing above the danger level and Kopili is above the ‘highest flood level’ in Kampur area of central Assam’s Nagaon district. Urban areas of Barpeta, Cachar, Darrang, Goalpara, Kamrup (Metro), Karimganj, Nalbari and Udalguri are also under water.

Heavy rain has triggered landslides in Cachar, Dima-Hasao, Goalpara, Hailakandi, Kamrup (Metro) and Karimganj districts, throwing normal life out of gear. Road and rail services remain disrupted in several parts of the State. Food and potable water is not easily available. Roads and bridges have suffered serious damage. 

The destruction is not limited to humans alone. Some 60,000 animals have been washed away and around 36 lakh were affected in the current wave of floods, according to the ASDMA report. More than 15 per cent of the Kaziranga National Park has been inundated with the Brahmaputra flowing above the danger level, an official statement noted. At least five animals, including a leopard, have been killed in floods in the national park so far this year.