image source- Google| published by- oneindia
Now,
it is look like that 2020 is all about something bad happening. Right now the
whole country is fighting with the COVID-19. And now in Assam, due to heavy
rainfall from 12th July natural phenomenon of flood became biggest
natural disaster in the country. Heavy rainfall
has joined hands in doubling the
challenge by wreaking havoc in some of the states. But in Assam situation is
worsening every day. The rainfall has flooded the Brahmaputra, which in turn inundated
around 33 districts thereby affecting more than 40 lakh people all across the
state. According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), more
that 93 people have lost their lives due to the flood and landslides. The flood
has also submerged almost the entire of the Kaziranga National Park, an official
bulletin said on Saturday. As I mentioned above flooding in Assam was a natural
phenomenon. Flooding is very essential in Assam as it make the land more
fertile, help in making the ecosystem of Kaziranga National Park. In recent
times people welcome the first flood of the year. So now what happened that
this thing turned into disaster than natural phenomenon. For this we need to
understand about the history of floods in Assam.
History of Floods in Assam:
image source- Google| published by- Nasa earth observatory
In 1950s
an earthquake raised the ground. Thus increasing the water level as well and
causing more floods. Year after year, the biggest state in the northeastern
region, Assam, is ravaged by floods. It displaces thousands and damages
property worth billions—but lessons are rarely learnt. The Brahmaputra, a trans-boundary
river and among the mightiest rivers in Asia, is braided and unstable in its
entire reach in Assam except for a few places. Brahmaputra is so big that it
cannot be tamed. It is not just contains water but it also contain a mixture of
soil, clay and nutrients- Sediments. During monsoon this river carries 2.12
million tons of sediment every single day. From 1950s to 2010 there were only
12 major floods but now every year it comes. The frequency if flood in this
area increased. Intentionally when flood came animals and people moves to
higher places and easily survive but now due to several factors the water level
crosses these places as well.
As
per the Brahmaputra board’s latest annual report, the main reasons behind the
instability of the river are high sedimentation and steep slopes.
Factor responsible for Assam floods:
- While
natural topography and excessive rainfall are obvious causes, floods are also
caused by human intervention like:
1. Encroachment of flood banks and wetlands, lack
of drainage. Builder, contractor grab this land , made houses and give it to
people for the sake of money. People living there have a false sense of
security because of the presence of embankments.
2. The region is also extremely vulnerable to
breaches of embankments. Floods
happen due to a breach of embankments. Assam have more than 450 embankments and
more than 80% of these embankments have not been reinforced in several decades
because there is a huge contractor-administration nexus that benefits
monetarily from a flood situation.
Now the embankments in
good method to stop flooding, but problem here is narrowing of it. And when you
try to reduce its area, then the speed of the flow of the water will increase
with increasing the level of water in the embankment area. Sedimentation of
river increases if the area of the flow is reduced. So, the buildup of
sedimentation in the embankment, if it is not removed and maintained properly,
the level of the river will continually rise. And then water will start to flow
over the embankments. Then there’d be no use of embankments because the outside
areas would be flooded the same as earlier.
3. Unplanned
urban growth, hill cutting and deforestation. We all studied in our 9th
class text book that root of trees hold soil which eventually hold and slows
the flow of water. But we are so busy in making roads, buildings, etc. that we
forget we need to pay for this as well.
4. Additionally,
the entire area falls in an earthquake-prone zone and experiences high rainfall.
The dams that are being built are further creating disasters.
- Current situation in Assam:
Assam Chief Minister
Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday morning visited a flood relief camp at Rising
Sun School, Kohora near Kaziranga and interacted with the people who have taken
shelter there. He said- “Assam Floods has brought new challenges to us in a
critical period and we are leaving no stone unturned in safeguarding the lives
of both people and animals".
He also visited
Kaziranga National Park and to check the status of wildlife and damage there. “As many as 66 animals have died and 170 others
have been rescued from the flood-hit Kaziranga national park”, an official said
The chief minister
highlighted that relief camps have been set up for affected people, where
enough groceries have been stocked.
People are being
provided with masks, regular health check-ups are being conducted and medicines
are also being stocked for the affected people. Apart from these, domestic
animals are also being provided fodder.
Nearly 80% of the
sanctuary, world’s biggest habitat of one-horned rhinos spread over 430 sq km,
is inundated by flood waters. Twenty five animals have been killed due to
various causes including drowning and vehicle-hit while trying to cross roads
during floods.
According
to park authorities, 73 of the 223 camps used by forest personnel to patrol the
park have been inundated and six of them have been vacated. Carcass of a rhino,
which died due to natural causes, was recovered on June 26.
Solution:
Climate change is
actually happening. In India we can see the time period of monsoon is reduced
and intensity increased. So in the whole year on very few days rain actually
happens but when it happens the intensity is so high that causes flood like
situation in that region. As we can see this in many parts of country like Mumbai
which every year faces the same problem. So what we can do in India we already
have scarcity of water so we can’t afford to waste these water. We can harvest
this extra water to meet our need for the water. I also wrote about the problem
of water scarcity in India. So must click on the link given to know the exact problem-
So now we know the solution, causes and history of floods in the Assam. But still government and media is not paying much attention towards it. Assam is a integral part of our Country. Now in this this harsh situation they need your support and love. if you can donate something for them then please do if cannot give them sympathy.
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