It’s been raining like cats and dogs in Assam for the last few days, and the already worrisome situation of flood in the state has now worsened.
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Assam is facing the 2nd flood of the season with 18.95 lakh people suffering in 28 districts and 55 dying in different parts of the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi dialed Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and enquired about the situation. The Prime Minister also assured all possible help to the Chief Minister to tackle the flood situation in the state.
“ At 6 am today, Hon PM Shri@ narendramodi ji called me to enquire about # flood situation in # Assam. While expressing his concerns over the hardships being faced by people due to this natural calamity, Hon PM rall help from Central Govt. Humbled by his reassuring generosity,” Sarma tweeted.
On Saturday, Assam was still dealing with heavy rains for which fresh landslides were recorded in Guwahati, which resulted in waterlogging in many parts of the city. Due to landslides and heavy floods the capital city was brought to a standstill for the third day in a row.
The flood situation within the state continues to be grim. According to reports, there is a major rise in the water level of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries. The river Kopili in the Nagaon district is flowing above the danger level mark, and the Brahmaputra, Beki, Manas, Pagladia, Puthimari, and Jia-Bharali are almost about to reach the danger level.
Enormous rescue and relief efforts have been started by the Indian Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and the Assam police’s Fire & Emergency Services in all flood-affected areas of the state.
A red warning has retained its hold over the state for the last few days amid incessant rains causing landslides and flooding in many parts across the two states. And now for the next few days, IMD has forecast extremely heavy rainfall throughout the state.
Trains to Assam canceled due to floods:
The Northeast Frontier (NF) Railways has canceled, diverted, and rescheduled several trains due to damage caused to railway tracks in different parts of the state.
Trains Canceled
15909 Dibrugarh – Lalgarh Express of 19th June stands canceled.
12523 New Tinsukia – New Delhi Express of 19th June will remain canceled
12068 Jorhat – Guwahati JanShatabdi Express of June 19 will remain close
13245 Rangia – New Jalpaiguri of June 19 will remain close
15603 Ledo – Guwahati Intercity Express of 19th June stands canceled
Rescheduling Trains
01664 Kamakhya – Bhopal Express of June 19 has been rescheduled to leave at 18.00 hours.
Why is Assam prone to floods:
Assam is one of the most flood-affected states in the country and it has become an annual calamity. The foods which impacted human lives most in the states were the floods of 1988,1998 and 2004. The 2004 flood was the worst which impacted 12.4 million people and claimed 251 lives.
According to the Assam government, 40% of the area of the state is flood-prone, and overall, Assam accounts for almost 10% of the total flood-prone area of the country. A vast network of rivers flows through Assam including the mighty Brahmaputra and Barak River and more than 50 tributaries of both. The rivers of Assam also receive water from Bhutan and neighboring states like Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya which is the reason the rivers get filled with water easily. Bank erosion caused by the mighty Brahmaputra is one of the main reasons why Assam gets flooded every year. Bank erosion means the removal of sediment, rock fragments, and soil along the river banks, which happens from a high flow of water.
Erosion leads to the rise in the width of the river and it leads to a change in the flow of the river. According to the Government of Assam, more than 4.29 lakh hectares of land, which is 7.40% area of the state, has been eroded by the Brahmaputra and its tributaries since 1950. In some places, the width of the river Brahmaputra has increased up to 15 kilometers due to bank erosion which is making it the widest river in India. It is estimated that nearly 8000 hectares of land get destroyed due to erosion in Assam.
Human intervention is also responsible for flood misdeeds like encroachment of river banks and wetlands, lack of drainage, unplanned urban growth, hill cutting, and deforestation done by humans.
Measures taken by the government to control floods:
In 1982, the Brahmaputra Board suggested building dams and reservoirs to control floods in Assam, but the building of dams was also very risky as breaking down dams creates havoc.
To control floods the water resources department of Assam has built many embankments and flood walls across the state. The government also considered digging up the riverbed which will make the river deeper, but many experts have warned the government against it as Brahmaputra sediment yield is among the highest in the world. There are various other reasons why Assam gets flooded every year, it is the responsibility of both the government and the public to find out measures to control floods in Assam.
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