Flash floods and landslips that have followed unusually sustained rainfall since September 17 have left a deadly trail in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. In Sikkim, following a cloudburst in the Chungthang region, homes, bridges, and stretches of highways were washed away. Among those hit were personnel of the Border Roads Organisation and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. No less than 70 landslips left whole regions cut off in the mountainous terrain. In Arunachal Pradesh, over two lakh people were affected in a wave of floods in five districts. An unusually heavy spell of rain is also threatening the stability of the famed Tawang Monastery in Arunachal Pradesh, precariously perched on a cliff-face, not far from the border with China. Meanwhile, more than 17 lakh people have been hit in 16 districts of Assam in a third round of floods this year. Assam’s human tragedy has been aggravated by the fact that in the Kaziranga National Park, some 75 per cent of the rhino habitat was submerged. The animals were forced to take shelter on high platforms or move across to the hills of Karbi Anglong district. The Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary also remains substantially submerged. In the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park in Tinsukia district, noted for its endangered animal species and wet evergreen forests, elephant calves were swept away by flood waters. Majuli, Asia’s largest inhabited river island in Jorhat district, is almost entirely submerged. It is cut off from the mainland with the ferry service across the Brahmaputra suspended.
Rescue and relief work undertaken by the Army, the Air Force, the National Disaster Response Force and the State Disaster Response Force have provided some comfort, but the scale of the task remains stupendous. The Brahmaputra and its tributaries are a blessing, but also a bane for the region. The river leaves the region fertile and irrigated, even aids mobility by hosting a thriving water transport system. But in its fury, the mighty and meandering hydraulic system has undone and effaced efforts over a long period of time to check and tame it. Lives and livelihoods, crops and infrastructure come under threat time and again. There is, of course, no telling how and when nature will vent its fury. Nevertheless, a clear plan of action based on the science of water management needs to be rolled out for the long term to mitigate damage and help people through what has effectively become an annual round of trouble for the region with the least possible discomfort. Working with the State governments concerned, the Centre should step in to ensure this.
Keywords: flash floods, landslide, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, monsoon rains, Brahmaputra
Assam Floods, If Hindu or any other Organisation in India,is intrested, we at SUN FLOOD CONTROLS (SFC) can recommend methods that can save the state Billions of Rupees with expenditure of a few crores.Serious Progress can be made, provided the Intent is genuine.
"THE HINDU" should publish an article on the preparedness of North East Monsoon bound States so that Governments takes necessary steps to cope with the floods during the monsoon.
Floods are both natural as well as man made,we could may not avoid its occuring in some cases,but could prevent incurring of loss of lives and property through well planned strategy ,which is, in line with global best practise and in accordance to local conditions.
As mentioned in the second para, a clear plan of action based on the science of water management needs to be rolled out for the long term to mitigate damage. We should consider Assam as a developing state. State has plans to convert all the production through organic farming, which will be very helpful for our economic growth too. Such disasters harm the growth of state & as well growth of our country. Government should recognize the potential Assam has. Government should take immediate actions to bring the current situation to normal.
The Government must construct an extensive canal system that can prevent and alleviate floods in North east. Given that the Government has failed to even build railway lines to many north eastern states since 60 years of Independence, nothing much can be expected from the Indian government except corruption scams.
Floods has always been a prevalent phenomenon throughout the course of the Bhramaputra. It is unfortunate to know that the disaster management team is not yet upto the mark. It has to gear up for these challenges. With the recent news of the Arctic ice melting, the sea levels are bound to rise and many low lying coastal areas will be flooded. It is time the authorities wake up and start preparing. Handling the unforeseen fury of nature might seem burdensome. With better planning and early preparedness, the situation can be dealth without causing much discomfort and inconvenience to the affected people.
When nature is at its best, we derive all benefits, making life most enjoyable and when it is at its worst, life becomes most miserable. Nature being not in the control of human beings, there is not much that can be done to change it. However, all possible precautionary and preventive measures can always be taken to prevent and reduce the magnitude of human sufferings. Viewed in that context, the well-meant editorial Better planning for floods should serve as an eye-opener to the state and central governments and also the people in the floods-prone areas.
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