Table of Contents
FLOODS IN ASSAM
- Floods have hit 18 of the 33 districts in Assam, killing 37 people and affecting more than a million people and livestock. They have submerged large parts of the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, and Manas National Park.
- Floods are an annual feature in the state. Apart from incessant and heavy rainfall during the monsoon, there are natural and man-made factors that contribute to this.
WHY SO MUCH FLOODS?
- With a large basin area spanning China, India, Bangladesh and Bhutan, the Brahmaputra brings with it huge quantities of water and silt, leading to erosion and floods in Assam.
- In addition, because of the region’s earthquake-prone nature, the river is not stable. The man-made problems include dams (which destroy the fragile ecology), deforestation in catchment areas leading to increase in sediment load, embankments, and growing habitation along the banks and sandbars.
WHY SO MUCH FLOODS?
- When rainfall is heavy, the river breaches the embankments and destroys habitations along the banks and on the sandbars.
- It is time the central and the state governments prepare a long-term plan that goes beyond piecemeal measures like building embankments and dredging to control floods.
IMPACTS OF FLOODS
- Frequent inundation of agricultural land and human settlement has serious consequences on the national economy and society.
- Floods do not only destroy valuable crops every year, but these also damage, physical infrastructure such as roads, rails, bridges and human settlements.
- Millions Of people are rendered homeless and are also washed down along with their cattle in the floods.
- Spread of diseases like cholera, gastroenteritis, hepatitis and other waterborne diseases spread in the flood-affected areas.
- Floods also make a few positive contributions. Every year, flood deposit fertile silt over agricultural fields, this is good for the crops.
FLOOD CONTROL
- Disaster Preparedness Plan
- Storage Dams
- Reducing risk
- Prior evacuation
- Diversion
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