Assam Flood 2022

 

ASSAM FLOODS 2022:

Assam is the most flood-prone area of India. Every year, floods devastate lives and crores of properties. This year, the situation is more intensified as the first wave of the flood came on 16^th June 2022 and started to demolish everything on its way.

current situation :

According to various sources, 45 lakh people (13% of the total population of Assam) are suffering from the flood, 117 people, including women and children, have lost their lives as of now, and 2 lakh people are living in relief camps. Nearly 30 districts are suffering from the flood. The flood situation in the Barpeta district has become significantly worse as a result of the release of Krishna Sudama Water by the Bhutan government. Harrowing images have been coming; people using rafts to go around, cars that have broken down and are drowning, security forces filling up boats with people clutching their belongings, helpless people being carried to safety camps, and houses being washed away. People are stranded in houses, sitting on tables waiting to be rescued.

Why is Assam so flood-prone?

Assam is situated close to the Brahmaputra river, so the elevation of this state is lower than that of other neighboring states. Water flows from these higher-lying states downwards into Assam. Situations become worse during monsoons and this part of the world is the rainiest. This enormous amount of rainwater overflows and floods all over the basin.

Why is the flood of Assam becoming worse day by day?

1. Climate change is one of the biggest reasons behind this catastrophe. "The volume of atmospheric moisture increases with rising temperature because warmer air holds more moisture and for longer," said Roxy Mathew Koll a climate scientist at IITM. so the amount of rain is increasing day by day for global warming.

2. Soil erosion is filling the riverbed, causing an overflow. Various records show Brahmaputra erosion destroys nearly 400 square km of Assam at a rate of 80 square Km per year, destroying 2500 villages and affecting more than 5 million people.

3. Poor planning is one of the biggest reasons behind the flood of Assam. According to some govt records, 30000 crores were spent over the last 60 years on the embankment along the Brahmaputra. But 295 out of 423 embankments have crossed their lifespan of 25 years. There are a lot of allegations of corruption around embankment projects.

 

Is the government really worried about the Assam disaster?

According to our sources, 862 camps have been set up by the respective district administrations where 2.6 lakh people are taking shelter. 11 NDRF teams are deployed to rescue affected people.

The government had announced that 1000 km of the embankment will be made along the river this year. But again, this is not a permanent solution. In 2017, the Brahmaputra River Symposium has held in New Delhi, for the first time, it brought together 150 stockholders from 4 countries to figure out a solution. SAWI and the World Bank are pushing for this. Forgetting the geopolitical complexities, if we resolve this problem, millions of people can live a good life.

The mainstream media is not showing any updates about the millions of afflicted Assamese. The government is not announcing any permanent solution. Now the question is, do we care about Assamese? If we consider North East as an undivided part of India then protecting the people of north east should be our first priority.