{"id":6581,"date":"2022-07-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-06T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/current_affairs\/uncategorized\/06-07-2022\/floods-in-assam-learning-from-deluge\/"},"modified":"2022-07-06T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-07-06T00:00:00","slug":"floods-in-assam-learning-from-deluge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/editorial-analysis\/06-07-2022\/floods-in-assam-learning-from-deluge","title":{"rendered":"Floods in Assam :Learning from deluge"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Context\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This year\u2019s floods in Assam have been merciless.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n
\n

What are Floods ?<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • They are the most frequent type of <\/span><\/span><\/span>natural disaster <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>and occur when an overflow of water submerges land that is usually dry.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • They are often caused by heavy rainfall, rapid snowmelt or a storm surge from a tropical cyclone or tsunami in coastal areas.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • They can cause widespread devastation, resulting in loss of life and damages to personal property and critical public health infrastructure<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    There are 3 common types of floods:<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Flash floods :They <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>are caused by rapid and excessive rainfall that raises water heights quickly, and rivers, streams, channels or roads may be overtaken.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • River floods <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>:They are caused when consistent rain or snow melt forces a river to exceed capacity.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • Coastal floods :<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> are caused by storm surges associated with tropical cyclones and tsunamis.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

      About Assam\u2019s floods\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      • Assam is hit by s<\/span><\/span><\/span>everal rounds of floods every year<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> and around 40 percent of Assam\u2019s land is prone to floods.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • Floods have been a way of life for people living in Assam.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • The lowlands and riverine areas bear the<\/span><\/span><\/span> brunt of the deluge<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>. The <\/span><\/span><\/span>flooding pattern<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> is usually repeated year-to-year.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • There is no standard pattern to the recurrence of mega, unpredictable floods.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
          \n
        • In the last century, they occurred in 1<\/span><\/span><\/span>934, 1950, 1954, 1955, 1966, 1988 and 2004.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
            \n
          • The incidence of such megafloods depends on several variables like unusually h<\/span><\/span><\/span>igh rainfall and the failure<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> of critical embankments.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
              \n
            • Other man-made factors like deforestation, hill cutting, encroachments and destruction of wetlands have also worsened the flood situation.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
            • Climate change is set to lead to more frequent and severe floods in Assam,\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              \u00a0<\/p>\n

              <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

              Role of floods in the making of the floodplain environment and ecology of Assam<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

                \n
              • Rejuvenate flood-plain ecosystems<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
                  \n
                • Floods cause disruption and damage but they also generate a <\/span><\/span><\/span>bounty of fish <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>and <\/span><\/span><\/span>rejuvenate flood-plain ecosystems<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> all along the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Brahmaputra, including in the Kaziranga.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
                • This landscape has been shaped over millions of years with the help of an active <\/span><\/span><\/span>monsoonal environment and mighty rivers <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>that carry sediments weathered from the still-rising Himalaya.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
                • Over millions of years, this depositing of sediment into the floodplains has produced at least two results: <\/span><\/span><\/span>Raising the lowlands and regularly adjusting river beds.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
                    \n
                  • These ensured that <\/span><\/span><\/span>impacts of flooding remained moderate<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
                  • The prosperity and general well-being of a large majority of the population of Assam, especially in rural areas, critically depend on their <\/span><\/span><\/span>ability to survive the capricious ways of floods<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
                      \n
                    • The annual floods were a natural way to enrich the soils, which have a propensity to get depleted.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                      Adverse impacts\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

                        \n
                      • In many parts of the state, both rural and urban, shoals of water drove people from their homes and forced many of them to seek shelter for their livestock.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
                          \n
                        • In many places, people failed to save standing crops.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
                        • \u00a0Granaries were damaged and mud houses<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> were filled with sand brought by the rivers in spate.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
                            \n
                          • \u00a0lakhs of people have been affected in recent floods while 1.08 lakh hectares of crops have been damaged.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
                          • Floods can adversely reconfigure the landscape.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
                              \n
                            • The devastation in the floodplains is also a consequence of the way the dams and reservoirs are operated.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                              \n\n\n\n
                              \n

                              Government\u2019s Steps<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

                                \n
                              • A <\/span><\/span><\/span>Flood Management Programme (FMP) <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>was launched during XI Plan for providing <\/span><\/span><\/span>assistance to States<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> for works related to flood management and erosion control.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
                              • Various training programmes<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> are run by the National Water Academy, Pune which serves the objective of the National Flood Management Institute recommended by NDMA.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
                              • Central Water Commission (CWC)<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> has initiated actions for expansion and modernisation of its flood forecasting network.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
                                  \n
                                • CWC has provided necessary technical guidance to States for the preparation of E<\/span><\/span><\/span>mergency Action Plans (EAPs)<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> by concerned dam owners.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
                                • A <\/span><\/span><\/span>Water Resources System (WRIS)<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> has been launched where such digitised data is available.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
                                • \u00a0Flood Plain Zoning<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
                                    \n
                                  • It is a concept central to flood plain management. This concept recognises the basic fact that the flood plain of a river is essentially its domain and any intrusion into or developmental activity therein must recognise the river\u2019s \u2018right of way\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

                                    Conclusion Way Forward\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

                                      \n
                                    • The rapid transformation in rainfall characteristics and flooding patterns <\/span><\/span><\/span>demand building people\u2019s resilience<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
                                        \n
                                      • Construction projects that impede the movement of water and sediment across the <\/span><\/span><\/span>floodplain must be reconsidered.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                          \n
                                        • \u00a0The government should plan to install a <\/span><\/span><\/span>drainage network linked to pumps to vacuum out stormwater during heavy rain.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
                                        • Prediction using rainfall and storm water<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span>modelling <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>and transfer of information to citizens and ward level teams <\/span><\/span><\/span>should become part of the management system.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
                                        • The global concept being tried out is called<\/span><\/span><\/span> \u2018sponge cities<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2019 where the hard crust of urbanisation is converted into a sponge concept with aquifers, wetlands and lakes being included to detain and retain stormwater and convert foods into a water asset stored for later use.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
                                        • Wetlands and local water bodies<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> should be revived in Assam to improve the <\/span><\/span><\/span>drainage system,<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> which can act as an exit for excess water and prevent waterlogging.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
                                            \n
                                          • This would entail clearing human encroachments in the Brahmaputra flood plains.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
                                          • Embankments should be regularly<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> checked for breaches and systems put in place for maintenance; a first step would be to break the babu-contractor nexus that finds floods an easy way to sponge money from the system.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                            \u00a0<\/p>\n

                                            [Q] <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>Critically Analyse the Role of floods in the making of the floodplain environment and ecology of the region.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                                            In Context\u00a0 This year\u2019s floods in Assam have been merciless.\u00a0 What are Floods ? They are the most frequent type of natural disaster and occur when an overflow of water submerges land that is usually dry.\u00a0 They are often caused by heavy rainfall, rapid snowmelt or a storm surge from a tropical cyclone or tsunami […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6582,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[26],"class_list":["post-6581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorial-analysis","tag-gs-3"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2023\/07\/2215344Screenshot_6.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6581"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6581\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}