• According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, floods have claimed more than 50 lives and displaced 3,60,000 people this year.
• More than 40,000 hectares of crop area have been affected and large parts of Dibrugarh and Guwahati regions of Assam are under water.

Why Assam Gets Flooded Every Year?

• Assam’s vulnerability stems from a complex combination of hydrological and climatic factors. The state has more than 120 rivers, several of which originate from the hills and mountains of extreme rainfall hotspots in Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya as well as in China and Bhutan. But it’s also a fact that for nearly 70 years, the Centre and Assam government have not found ways to control the damage caused by rivers in spate. Despite flood after flood exposing the hazards of the embankment-centred approach, the state’s authorities have not course corrected. Most of these flood control structures date back to the 1960s and 1970s, when the hydrology of Assam’s rivers, including the mighty Brahmaputra, was poorly understood.

1. The Brahmaputra factor:

• Assam is situated at the foothills of the Himalayas and comprises two valleys namely Brahmaputra and Barak.
• It flows through Assam over a length of around 650 km with an average width of 5.46 km, making it the principal river that crisscrosses the floodplains.
• Coming from the Kailash range (high elevation), the river gets highly sedimented by the time it enters Assam (low elevation).
• Due to this flattening of the slope, there is a sudden drop in velocity and the river deposits huge quantities of sediment and other debris collected from hilly terrains on the riverbed, raising its level.
• During summers, the sedimentation increases as soil erodes with the melting of glaciers.

2. The Monsoon Factor:

• The monsoon is intense in the Northeast.
• According to the State Disaster Management Authority, annual rainfall averages around 2900 mm with maximum precipitation in June and July.
• The Water Resources Ministry of Assam states that 85% of the annual rainfall in the Brahmaputra basin takes place during the monsoon months.
• Besides, the valley gets a good amount of rainfall in April and May due to thunderstorm activities which account for flooding during heavy rain in June, when the soil is already saturated.

3. Riverbank Erosion:

• As sedimented rivers move through the state along with their tributaries, they take with them soil and sediment from banks.
• Soil erodes and rivers expand as it gets more area and this results in flooding. This erosion of the land alongside rivers has emerged as a serious problem for Assam.
• The width of Brahmaputra has increased up to 15 km due to bank erosion at some places in Assam.

4. Human intervention:

• Construction of Embankments: Embankments are constructed to confine the course of a river. This solution, however, has evolved to be an added challenge over time in Assam.
• Construction of embankments first started in Assam in the 1960s to control floods.
• Six decades later, most of these embankments have either outlived their utility or are in bad condition. Many others were washed away.
• Every year, as floods follow monsoon, river water breaches these barriers and inundated houses and land.
• Dams: One of the key causes of floods in the Assam region is the unregulated release of water from dams situated uphill.
• Population & Unplanned expansion of the urban areas: From an estimated 11,000 people in 1901, Guwahati now is home to close to 1.1 million people. Rapid population growth has led to severe encroachments of the wetlands, low lying areas, hills and shrinkage of forest cover. Further a poor drainage system is also a key reason for water-logging in cities that eventually leads to flooding.
• Guwahati is a bowl-shaped lowland, susceptible to water logging. Historically, marshes and water channels worked together to make the city habitable.

5. Climate change:

• A Report by the State government states that extreme rainfall events will increase by 38%.
• Heavy rainfall replacing continuous low or normal rainfall during monsoon combined with the melting of glaciers due to rising temperatures will mean:
• Rivers from the Himalayas will be carrying more water and sediment even before they enter Assam where smaller rivers are swelled up due to incessant rainfall.
• This increases the possibility of frequent flash floods in low-lying areas.
• Other Factors Worsened the Flood Situation: Deforestation, Hill Cutting, Encroachments, Destruction of Wetlands, Lack of Drainage System in the State, Unplanned Urban Growth, Construction of Dams, Hydro Projects, Irrigation Projects, etc.

Adverse impacts of floods

1. Loss of Life: The most devastating impact of floods is the loss of precious human lives. In the recent Assam Floods, the death toll has already reached 170.
2. Habitat Loss: In many parts of the State, both rural and urban, shoals of water drove people from their homes and forced many of them to seek shelter for their livestock. So far, 1.38 lakh houses have been totally or partially damaged.
3. Deters Food Security: In many places, people failed to save standing crops. Granaries were damaged and mud houses were filled with sand brought by the rivers in spate.
4. Economic Loss: Numerous critical infrastructure like buildings, power lines, communication lines etc.. get damaged due to flooding. Roads get blocked due to which people are unable to carry out their livelihood. Thus it brutally impacts the economy of a region.
5. Environmental Degradation: Not only humans but our pristine environment composed of a diverse variety of flora and fauna also faces the brunt of excessive flooding. Numerous animals die and trees get uprooted due to excessive flooding.

Existing Flood Management Mechanisms in India?

In India, there is a two tier system of flood management:

• State Level Mechanism: The State Level Mechanism includes the Water Resources Departments, State Technical Advisory Committee and Flood Control Board. In some States, the Irrigation Departments and Public Works Departments look after flood matters.
• Union Government Mechanism: The Union Government has set up multiple organizations and various expert committees to enable the State Governments in addressing flood problems in a comprehensive manner.
• Central Water Commission (CWC): It was set up for achieving the goal of furthering and promoting measures of flood control. It also focuses on conservation and utilization of water resources throughout the country in the areas of irrigation, hydropower generation, flood management and river conservation.
• Brahmaputra Board: The Government of India set up the Brahmaputra Board under the Brahmaputra Board Act, 1980 (46 of 1980) under the then Ministry of Irrigation (now Ministry of Jal Shakti). The jurisdiction of the Board includes all NE States in the Brahmaputra and Barak Basin.
• National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA): The aim of the NDMA is to prevent and mitigate disasters including floods. It focuses on undertaking a holistic, coordinated and prompt response to any disaster situation. The Government of India has set up a National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in 2005 under the Chairmanship of Hon’ble Prime Minister of India.

Advantages of Floods in the Assam/NE:

• Raising of Lowlands: Every year, the Brahmaputra and its tributaries transport billions of tonnes of sediment, mainly from the Eastern Himalayas. This raised the lowlands and regularly adjusted river beds.
• Rejuvenation of Ecosystem: Floods cause disruption and damage but they also generate a bounty of fish and rejuvenate flood-plain ecosystems all along the Brahmaputra, including in the Kaziranga.
• Shaping of the State: The entire Assam landscape has been shaped over millions of years with the help of an active monsoonal environment and mighty rivers that carry sediments weathered from the still-rising Himalayas.

Diadvantages of Floods on Assam:

• Kaziranga National Park: More than 15% of the Kaziranga National Park has been inundated with the Brahmaputra flowing above the danger level, an official statement noted.
• Effects on Infrastructure: Train services  got disrupted as water affected railway tracks at several places.
• All modes of transport went on halt except Boats, which charged as much as ₹100 per 100 m in some areas to make up for their inability to fish or ferry people to rivers for a living.
• Roads and bridges have suffered serious damage.
• Effects on Animals: Animals are also killed by poachers who take advantage of their vulnerability.
• Animals also move towards villages in floods, this leads to human-animal conflict.

Steps taken by the Government for flood management:

• National Flood Commission (Rashtriya Badh Ayog): The Commission submitted its comprehensive report in March 1980. It contained a total of 207 recommendations covering the entire gamut of problems related to floods in the country.
• R Rangachari Committee: It was set up by the Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India in October 2001 to review the implementation of recommendations of the National Flood Commission.
• National Water Policy (1987/ 2002/2012): The Government of India has laid significant emphasis on the management of floods under the policy.

Flaws in the flood management in India:

• The biggest shortcoming has been lack of implementation of the recommendations of the National Flood Commission. A report by the CAG in 2017 observed that flood-prone States had not identified or demarcated affected areas in spite of recommendations by multiple committees. Only two of the 17 audited States had verified RBA’s assessment of flood-prone areas. The data were to be used for drawing maps of areas affected by floods. This had also not been implemented.
• The National Water Policy of 2012, had specified preparation of digital elevation models and frequency-based Flood inundation maps. These have also not been prepared.
• The Central Water Commission (CWC) had circulated a Model Bill for Flood Plain Zoning among States for enactment in 1975. Flood Plain Zoning demarcates zones or areas likely to be affected by floods of different magnitudes or frequencies the damage can be mitigated. The CAG report observed that only 3 States (Manipur, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand) had enacted Flood Plain Zoning Acts.
• The CAG Report had observed that the damage to life and property in Uttarakhand (2013) and Chennai (2015) floods would have been much lesser, had the recommendations been implemented.

Recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources:

• Strengthen embankments along the rivers: Most flood protection structures in Assam are over 50-60 years old. These were constructed on the main stem of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries way back in the 1960s and have become weak now.
• Dredging of Rivers: Dredging is the removal of sediments and debris from the bottom of lakes, rivers, harbours, and other water bodies. It is a routine necessity in waterways around the world because sedimentation—the natural process of sand and silt washing downstream—gradually fills channels and harbors.
• Improve Alert and Forecasting: There is a need to set up modern weather stations in the upstream catchment of all dams in the North East and install sirens on river banks near dams. This would alert downstream populations in the event of floods.
• Inclusion of river erosion in an admissible list of calamities: The Government should consider inclusion of river erosion in the admissible list of calamities for availing assistance under the National Disaster Response Fund/State Disaster Response Fund.
• Address Vacancies in the Brahmaputra Board: The Brahmaputra Board which has been functional since 1982 does not have enough manpower. The Report had asked the Board to fill up all vacant posts on a priority basis.
• Enact Flood Zoning Bill: Major flood-prone states such as UP, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Odisha etc. have not taken the initiative to enact the Flood Plain Zoning Bill. The Law must be enacted to regulate activities in the floodplains. This will help mitigate the damage to life and property.
• Set up River Basin Organizations: The report strongly recommended the setting up of River Basin Organizations or RBOs. These would effectively provide immediate, short-term and long-term solutions in addition to the overall development of the river basin.
• Mitigation Measures: Measures such as Afforestation and rejuvenation of wetlands should be taken to mitigate the impact of floods.

Measures Need to be Taken:

• Information Communications: It should be ensured that more credible information is made available so that preparedness can be improved and residents can be alerted.
• Experts have indicated that the region needs more institutionalized and technologically advanced systems to allow for credible and fast warning systems.
• Protecting Kaziranga: Emphasis needs to be put on securing animal corridors and ensuring a safe passage to the Karbi hills.
• Need for a landscape-scale conservation approach that recognises the value of the Karbi Anglong hills.
• The highlands of Karbi Anglong, where the animals take refuge, are the lifeline of the park during the floods.
• Constructing Sluice Gates: Sluice Gates should be constructed on tributaries of Brahmaputra and other rivers. It would prove to be an effective step.
• Sluice Gate’s valves are designed to seal in one direction and commonly are used to control water levels and flow rates in rivers and canals.
• They also are used in wastewater treatment plants.
• Other Measures: A Centre for Disaster Management should be established in Assam to carry out studies for effective implementation of measures.

Road Ahead:

• People’s Resilience: The rapid transformation in rainfall characteristics and flooding patterns demand building people’s resilience.
• Sustainable Land Management: Construction projects that impede the movement of water and sediment across the floodplain must be reconsidered.
• Encouraging responsible land management practices, such as avoiding excessive excavation and deforestation, can help preserve the natural landscape and prevent soil erosion.
• Early Warning Systems: The region’s historical experiences offer several valuable lessons in adaptation to floods. At the same time, climate-imposed exigencies demand new paradigms of early-warning and response systems and securing livelihoods and economies.
• Improved Infrastructure and Drainage systems: Investing in well-designed and adequately maintained infrastructure, including drainage systems, can help manage and redirect excess water during heavy rainfall events.

CONCLUSION

• Assam and numerous other States in India are going to face increased flooding in future, especially considering the rapid climate change. The recent floods are a wakeup call to enact more robust policies for flood prevention and mitigation, prevention and response keeping in mind the spirit of Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction.