82 dead, 47 lakh affected in Assam floods
Assam’s flood situation remained grim with all major rivers in spate, affecting over 47 lakh people and claiming 11 more lives on Monday. The northeastern state has been reeling under devastating floods over the last one week, affecting 47,72,140 people in 32 of the 36 districts.
The fresh fatalities have pushed the toll in this year’s floods and landslides in Assam to 82, a bulletin issued by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA). The devastating floods, caused by incessant l rainfall, has affected 5,424 villages, from where 2,31,819 people have taken shelter in 810 relief camps. Rivers Kopili, Brahmaputra, Puthimari, Pagladia, Beki Barak and Kushiara are flowing above the danger level.
DAMAGE
A total crop area of 1,13,485.37 hectares have been affected, while 5,232 animals have been washed away. Two embankments were breached, 349 roads and 16 bridges were damaged during the day. Sarma asked the DCs to take the help of Indian Air Force (IAF) to airdrop relief materials in areas where NDRF or SDRF boats have not been able to reach so far.
He said IAF has assured the state government of offloading petroleum and diesel in severely-affected areas. Leader of Opposition in Assam Assembly Debabrata Saikia sought from the prime minister a central package of at least Rs 20,000 crore for relief and rehabilitation work in areas that suffered damage due to flood over the last three to four years. He urged the Centre to declare the problem of flood and erosion in the state as a national calamity.
ASSAM & FLOOD
Assam is one of the most flood-prone states in India and it has almost become an annual calamity.In terms of impact on human lives, the floods of 1988, 1998 and 2004 were the worst – the 2004 floods alone affected 12.4 million people and claimed 251 lives.
According to the Assam government, the flood-prone area of the state is 31.05 lakh hectares, against a total area of 78.523 lakh hectares – this means nearly 40% of the state’s area is flood-prone. Overall, Assam accounts for nearly 10% of the total flood-prone area of the country.
The average annual loss due to floods in Assam is to the tune of of ₹200 crore and particularly in 1998, the loss suffered was about ₹500 crore and during the year 2004 it was about ₹771.00 crore.
WHY ARE FLOODS AN ANNUAL OCCURRENCE IN ASSAM?
Apart from the natural topography and annual excessive rainfall in Assam, there are various reasons – both man-made and natural –behind the destructive floods that hit Assam every year. Assam is home to a vast network of rivers, including the Brahmaputra and Barak River, and more than 50 tributaries feeding them. Assam also receives river water from neighboring states like Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya.
BANK EROSION
Bank erosion caused by the river Brahmaputra is one of the major reasons why Assam gets flooded every year. It means the removal of soil, sediment, or rock fragments along the banks, which results from high water flow.
Due to erosion, the width of the river increases and it changes itscourse. According to the Assam government, more than 4.27 lakh hectares of land, which is 7.40 % area of the state, has been eroded by the river Brahmaputra and its tributaries since 1950.
The width of the river Brahmaputra has increased up to 15 kilometres at some places due to bank erosion, making it the widest river in India. It is estimated that annually nearly 8,000 hectares land is lost to erosion.
The surveys carried out at different periods reflect an alarming picture regarding the widening of river Brahmaputra which is as follows:
Floods are also caused by human intervention – like
encroachment of river banks and wetlands, lack of drainage,unplanned urban growth, hill cutting and deforestation. The dams that are being built are further aggravating
these disasters.
