There are many man made factors behind Assam Floods, Mr CM

Flooded town of silchar in Assam's Cachar district. Partha Seat via SANDRP

June 27 SANDRP - South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People

The Assam Chief Minister has called the unprecedented floods in Silchar town along Barak river in South Assam as man-made floods. The reason given is that the breach of embankment along the Barak river in the town was created by some people. It is good to see that the Assam CM Mr Himanta Biswa Sarma has recognised that some of the floods can be due to man made factors. And indeed, investigation followed by action is required in all such cases. But the CM should not limit this to just the breach of Barak embankment or the role of some of the people who may have breached the embankment earlier in May to provide outlet to one of the lakes. The investigation must also look into the role of the water resources department as to why they did not swing into action earlier, both in terms of repair and investigation. .

In fact, according to reports so far, no less than 297 embankments have breached during this monsoon so far already. Many or rather most of them have happened due to systematic neglect and lack of proper maintenance by the water resources department and needs proper investigation and action. There is also an urgent need for assessment of cost benefit and efficacy of the embankments in Assam.

Moreover, as mentioned by a number of experts and editorials in some newspapers mentioned below there are other man made reasons including destruction of forests, wetlands, dumping in and encroachment of rivers, streams and other water bodies, releases from upstream dams, among others that also contribute to worsening the flood situation in Assam each year and needs investigation and action. We hope the Assam government will bring all of these into the mandate of the forthcoming investigation and action about the man made factors in Assam flood disaster.

Assam Floods ‘Man made floods’: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that strong action will be taken against those people who broke the bethukandi embankment, which led rising water from Barak River to enter the Silchar town, causing unprecedented flood. While Silchar faces floods almost every year, this year the situation is very bad, with flood waters reaching roofs of some single floor houses in the largest town in Southern Assam.

– However, this flood has been described as man-made flood by officials and the CM, not natural flood. It is notable that last month, some people had cut the vital embankment to let water from a lake to enter the river. While the water level had risen in May, the embankment was not breached. But the rising wated had flown over the embankment and entered the area. Due to this, the water level of the Mahisha Lake had gone up. As the flood situation was still worrying, the irrigation department had not opened the sluice gate, and the water in the late didn’t recede, even though the water in the Barak river started to recede.

– Due to this, people living in the area had started to dig a pathway for the water to move from the lake to the river. This did solve the problem, and the water level in the lake came down. But this was a big mistake by people, because when the water in the river started to rise again due to non-stop rain earlier this month, there was no embankment to keep the water away from the town. The strong water current quickly widened the drain that was dug through the dyke, and water started to enter Silchar through it. An FIR has been registered with Cachar police in the matter.

–  The WR dept did not take action in time to reverse this. https://www.opindia.com/2022/06/assam-cm-assures-strong-action-for-damaging-embankment-causing-flood-in-silchar/  (25 June 2022)

“Silchar’s flood was man-made. It would not have happened had the embankment at Bethukandi not been breached by some miscreants,” Mr. Sarma told journalists after visiting the flooded town for the second time in less than a week. “The Bethukandi incident is a big lesson for us. The next time there is a flood, we have to post policemen at the embankment so that nobody can breach it,” he said.  https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/silchar-flood-man-made-says-assam-cm/article65567667.ece  (26 June 2022)

Unprecedented floods submerge Silchar town The Barak river has submerged almost whole of Silchar town, South Assam’s biggest town and gateway to three Barak Valley districts, and even entered the first floor. This has never happened before. Water came suddenly on Monday (June 20, 2022 afternoon) and engulfed all of the town by Tuesday morning. The culprit is a breach at the Bethukandi embankment along the Barak river. The breach sent waters of the river rushing in and submerging the town overnight.

– Locals allege that the embankment was broken in May during the first spell of rains this season. “The river had entered the town and then itself most of the water had accumulated in a natural reservoir near the embankment called Mahisha Beel. Even after the river level had gone down, the reservoir’s sluice gates were not opened for the water to be drained into the river,” said Das, adding that the local residents dug up a pathway so the water had on way to escape. “Now it is the same way through which the water is coming back in.”

However, the scale of the problem is such that even rescue and relief has become a tough challenge for the district administration. Other disaster management officials said that the lack of boats was a major problem and that the administration had to resort to “country boats”. Strong currents, however, were pushing away these boats, making rescue even more challenging. “In the last few days, it was the rain but coupled with the embankment breach, it is a disaster,” said Dipankar Mishra, who owns a cyber cafe in the town’s Shillongpatty area. https://indianexpress.com/article/north-east-india/assam/assam-floods-silchar-rains-death-toll-7983001/  (22 June 2022)

A total of 297 embankments have been breached in 20 districts of Assam, with 33 in Darrang alone, according to the Assam State Disaster Management Flood Report of June 19, 2022. “Only 7 per cent of the districts have updated their disaster management plans (DDMP) until 2020 in Assam, according to our analysis,” said Abinash Mohanty, programme lead of the risks and adaptation team at the CEEW, a Delhi-based think-tank. Ensuring updation of the DDMPs and, more importantly, its practical implementation can help manage floods better.

– “Usually when embankments are breached, villages inside embankments (between the river and embankments) are affected and are supposed to be evacuated. But this year, villages lying outside embankments in Darrang district, the very land the embankments were supposed to protect, were engulfed by floods,” said Nanu Saikia, executive-director of SATRA foundation, an NGO focused on disaster mitigation in villages of Assam. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/natural-disasters/climate-change-poor-planning-why-assam-s-floods-are-getting-worse-83361  (20 June 2022)

One of worst hit areas in Assam floods is Kampur in Nagaon district. 2 policemen, including officer in-charge of Kampur police station, lost their lives in a rescue operation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dieFExDbL7U  (21 June 2022)

“It is the combination of climate change plus the infrastructural interventions that we have done without properly scientifically studying the flood plain,” Mr Rahman says. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-23/south-asia-s-heat-and-floods-spark-fears-over-climate-change/101172804  (23 June 2022)

EDIT in Deccan Herald on June 25, 2022 rightly mentions the role of these factors contributing to flood disaster in Assam: destruction of wetlands, destruction of drainage system, indiscriminate urbanisation, deforestation, mining, dysfunctional embankments, climate change and lack of multidisciplinary approach to flood management. https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/second-edit/acutely-vulnerable-assam-needs-a-plan-1121168.html  (24 June 2022)

THE HINDUSTAN TIMES Editorial on June 23, 2022 rightly highlights that the indiscriminate infrastructure development, deforestation and such actions are also responsible for the current NE floods in addition to climate change impacting rainfall pattern. https://www.hindustantimes.com/editorials/ne-floods-climate-is-not-the-only-villain-101655908074736.html  (22 June 2022)

Local residents say the embankment at Bethukandi was deliberately breached earlier in June to drain out the water from the previous spell of floods in May after the administration did not take any action.

According to data provided by Sunit Das, a senior scientist at the IMD, Silchar received 930 mm of actual rainfall, a departure of 490 mm from the normal, this month till June 21. The heavy rainfall weakened the already damaged dyke and the swollen Barak River could not be contained.

In May, too, heavy pre-monsoon rainfall triggered floods that wreaked havoc in the Barak Valley, especially Cachar district. Choudhury Parthankar, who teaches Ecology and Environmental Science at Assam University, said that excess rainfall in a short duration was to blame for the floods in the Barak Valley in May and June. According to Parthankar, other factors have also played a part – from poor drainage systems and plastic waste to unplanned urbanisation and naturally low-lying areas being constructed over.

Joydeep Biswas who teaches at Cachar College, meanwhile, recalled that floods have hit Silchar in the past as well and while this year’s situation is especially horrifying, no precautions were taken. It appears that no lessons were learnt from past mistakes, he said. https://scroll.in/article/1026724/how-incessant-rain-and-the-barak-river-in-spate-overwhelmed-assams-silchar-town  (23 June 2022)

Assam’s Dhemaji district administration has sought the Lower Siang district administration’s help in addressing the flood problem in Assam’s Silapathar and adjoining areas. During the meeting, the participants resolved to engage the Border Roads Organisation and engineers from both the states to conduct a technical survey. The team will also prepare an action plan to drain out clogged water from Likabali and Silapathar township areas and regulate the perennial streams. https://arunachaltimes.in/index.php/2022/06/26/assam-seeks-arunachals-help-in-addressing-flood-problem/  (26 June 2022)

Silchar, the 2nd biggest city of Assam. It’s been affected destructively by #floods. “Floods in Assam”, has been a always a biggest challenge and problem every year. Poor infrastructure and management has lead the life miserable. No water to drink, no food to eat, no electricity for lights, no medicine to treat ailments… And many more…

The #Savenortheast campaign along with @thereisnoearthb and many others are raising funds for the #floodreliefs #silchar. This video contains their plan of action.

They need your help and support. Help raise funds. Help share the post. Help by reposting the post. Help tagging your friends and family. Help the way you can. The people at #silchar  needs your help. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CfNqtrAFpQX/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY

Flood level in River Kushiyara which is part of Barak & other rivers basin at Karimganj level forecast site in Karimganj district has reached 16.49 m at 18:00 hrs on 20.06.2022 and missed breaching HFL (16.57 m dated 10.06.2010) by 0.08 m. The river is still in SEVERE FLOOD situation.

River Barak at Fulertal level forecast site in Cachar district has breached previous HFL (26.39 m dated 21.07.2004) by 0.04 m and setting up new HFL 26.43 m at 01:00 hrs on 21.06.2022. The flood level stayed over previous HFL for about 17 hrs. The river is still flowing in SEVERE FLOOD situation.

After flowing in EXTREME FLOOD situation for 144 hours (from 16:00 hours, 16.06.2022 to 16:00 hours, 22.06.2022), water level in Kopili river at Kampur site in Nagaon has come down below old HFL (61.79 m attained on 20.07.2004). New HFL 62.2 m attained at 14:00 hours on 18.06.2022 is 0.44 m higher than the previous HFL. With 61.56 m flood level at 11:00 hours on 23.06.2022, the river is still in SEVERE FLOOD situation.

Kopili river at Kampur level forecast site in Nagaon district continues to be in EXTREME FLOOD situation for past (5 days) 120 hours. The river had breached HFL 61.79 m dated 20.07.2004 at 16:00 hrs on 16.06.2022 setting up new HFL 62.2 m at 14:00 hrs on 18.06.2022. Before this, the old HFL was breached at 16:00 hours on 15.05.2022 reaching peak of 62.17 m at 21:00 hrs on 18.05.2022 & the flood level stayed above old HFL for more than 6 days (149 hrs).

https://sandrp.in/2022/06/27/drp-nb-270622-there-are-many-man-made-factors-behind-assam-floods-mr-cm/