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Assam’s Sorrow
Assam, because of its geological position and as home to a large network of rivers, faces floods frequently. The people must be enabled to enhance their adaptability so that the flood-induced damage can be minimised. This article analyses the causes of flood and the intensity of damages, and also suggests policy options to be taken to control the damages.
Like every other year, Assam has once again been ravaged by floods. From April 2017 many areas of the state are struggling (that is, till the end of August) to deal with the effects of flood. The situation is said to be the worst since 1998 (Das and Sarma 2017). The devastation can be visualised from the fact that some areas which were free from flooding for many years also got affected this time. As per the Flood Report of Assam State Disaster Management Authority’s statistics, so far 31 districts have been swept by floods affecting more than 3.95 lakh hectares (ha) of total crop area and claiming more than 150 lives. It may be noted that the floods and erosion problem of Assam is distinct from other states of India so far as the extent and duration of flooding and magnitude of erosion is concerned and is probably the most acute and unique in the country (GoA 2017).1 Hence the policy options towards this problem are bound to be different.
Causes of Floods in Assam
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