North-East India Deluge: Why does Assam Witness Annual Floods?

In pre-colonial times people of Assam used to welcome the first floods as they would make the soil more fertile.

Many centuries later, loss of traditional ways of life, rampant increase in population and unscientific methods of “taming” the mighty Brahmaputra made floods into an annual disaster.

The Brahmaputra basin is one of the biggest riverine systems in Asia. It originates from Tibet, flows through India and Bangladesh and merges into the Bay of Bengal.

It has over 50 tributaries in early stages of maturity which receive heavy rainfall before and during the monsoon. These rivers collect a tremendous amount of silt and other debris and raise the level of the river beds.

Human intervention has only exacerbated this natural geographical feature. Embankments, encroachments and building on the river bank as well as deforestation have all contributed to the problem. Climate change also leads to faster melting of the glaciers in the Eastern Himalayas.

To all our readers in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya - stay safe🙏