Raised Shelters, Changing Crop Patterns: How Assam is Adapting to Frequent Floods

Environmental News from India: 

Haryana’s Kundli industrial zone, on the outskirts of Delhi, is a prime industrial The people of Assam are learning to live with floods that are an annual occurrence in the state. They are adopting climate-proofing or flood-resilient mechanisms to cope with floods better.

People in Dhemaji, one of the worst flood-affected districts of Assam, have some important lessons to share. Dhemaji is in the foothills of the Himalayas. The Brahmaputra and its tributaries traverse from the hills of Arunachal Pradesh through this district.

The river naturally changes its course frequently and flows through several channels. However, changes in rainfall patterns, especially heavy rainfall events upstream, have made it more volatile.

The river has changed its course thrice in the last four years alone, according to locals. It flowed — stable and sturdy — towards the southwest between 2006 and 2015, before changing character and course in 2016.

“The character of the river keeps shifting. So, we keep running as it shifts. We can never predict as to when floods will strike. We always have to be prepared. Resilience is the only way to survive,” Joynath Hajong, a resident of Ajarbari village in the district, said.

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Source: DownToEarth

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