2020 Assam Floods
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2020 Assam floods refers to the significant flood event of the
Brahmaputra River The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Southwestern China, Northeastern India, and Bangladesh. It is known as Brahmaputra or Luit in Assamese language, Assamese, Yarlung Tsangpo in Lhasa Tibetan, Tibetan, the Siang/Dihan ...
in the Indian north-eastern state of
Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...
and coincided with the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Initial flooding started in May 2020 due to heavy rainfall affecting 30,000 and destroying crops across 5 districts. As of October 2020 the floods affected over five million people, claiming the lives of 123 people, with an additional 26 deaths due to landslides, 5474 villages were affected and over one hundred and fifty thousand people found refuge in relief camps.


Background

Due to its
tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate subtype that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ' ...
, the state of
Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...
is prone to annual flooding. While the monsoons are important for the largely agriculture dependent regional economy, they now cause annually recurring destruction of infrastructure, crops, livelihoods and loss of lives. Although annual precipitation is declining, daily rainfall data shows an increase in extreme rainfall events, leading to extreme flooding in Assam. Higher temporal and spatial variability of rainfall across the regions has been attributed to the
impact of climate change Effects of climate change are well documented and growing for Earth's natural environment and human societies. Changes to the climate system include an Instrumental temperature record, overall warming trend, Effects of climate change on the ...
. During the 2020 monsoon season, particularly high rainfall was experienced across central, north, and northeast India, with 15 centimeters more rainfall than usual by the middle of July. The reason for the excess rainfall is attributed to
Madden–Julian oscillation The Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) is the largest element of the intraseasonal (30- to 90-day) variability in the tropical atmosphere. It was discovered in 1971 by Roland Madden and Paul Julian of the American National Center for Atmospheric ...
, thereby causing prolonged break-monsoon conditions which decreases the rainfall in North West India and increases it in North East India. By 21 July, the meteorological subdivision of Assam and Meghalaya had received rainfall of 1,164mm as compared to normal rainfall of 894mm during the period, an excess of nearly 30%. The catchment areas of nearby states, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim also received excess rainfall nearly to the tune of 16% and 45% respectively aggravating the flood situation. Into October 2020, although the situation began to improve with the number of people affected reduced to 135,000 the state was still affected by prolonged flooding, with 315 villages still submerged.


Damages and potential long term effects

Flooding and subsequent landslides have caused damage to bridges, government buildings, roads, embankments and schools. The government has announced funding of 3.46 billion
Indian Rupees The Indian rupee (Currency symbol, symbol: Indian rupee sign, ₹; ISO 4217, code: INR) is the official currency of India. The rupee is subdivided into 100 ''Indian paisa, paise'' (Hindi plural; singular: ''paisa''). The issuance of the currenc ...
($42 million) for repairs and aid to the region. In addition to this aid, the central government, according to then Chief Minister
Sarbananda Sonowal Sarbananda Sonowal (; born 31 October 1962) is an Indian politician who has served as Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways since 2021. He also has been the Government of India, Member of the Rajy ...
, has "committed to passing an ordinance to set up North East Water Management Authority, to address flood and erosion problems" with more permanent solutions as an attempt to stop future monsoon seasons from being so devastating. Millions of people living in the flooded area rely on crops and livestock to provide for their families. The flooding began just before harvest and has caused destruction to more than 267,203
hectares The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. A ...
of crops and more than 45,000 domesticated animals have been forced to flee or be abandoned. Assam is home to important wildlife sanctuaries and
World Heritage sites World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...
which have been damaged by the flooding.
Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary () is a wildlife sanctuary on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra in Morigaon district in Assam, India. It was declared in 1987 and covers , providing grassland and wetland habitat for the Indian rhinoceros. It hol ...
has India's highest population of
rhinoceroses A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...
and at the height of the flooding 90% was impacted by flood waters.
Kaziranga National Park Kaziranga National Park is a List of national parks of India, national park in the Golaghat district, Golaghat, Sonitpur district, Sonitpur, Biswanath district, Biswanath and Nagaon district, Nagaon districts of the state of Assam, Assam, India. ...
has also been affected with more than 150 wild animals rescued and 125 animals, including 12 rhinoceros have died.


Relief efforts

Leadership in disaster management and relief operations is ensured by th
Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA)
in accordance with India's Disaster Management Act of 2005. As of 14 October 2020 a total 627 relief camps and 1662 relief distribution centers were set by up ASDMA, including hygiene and isolation measures for COVID-19 pandemic infected persons. Reduced carrying capacity of relief camps and difficulties in the povisioning of food and safe drinking water have been encountered. Relief efforts have also been provided by NGOs including Red Cross India who supplied tarpaulin sheets, food and water and relief materials to flood affected communities. In preparation for the annual flooding, Red Cross India increased stocks of aid packages across the state to ensure timely and efficient response to flood affected families. Oxfam India and other NGOs have however called attention to the challenges of COVID-19 and extensive flooding, increasing vulnerabilities of displaced people and minority communities who took refuge on embankments and makeshift shelters. Post-disaster response by ASDMA includes compensation schemes for homestead losses, infrastructure repair together with an Asian Development Bank and World Bank funded embankment and flood risk reduction program. Despite government efforts in
disaster risk reduction Disaster risk reduction aims to make disasters less likely to happen. The approach, also called DRR or disaster risk management, also aims to make disasters less damaging when they do occur. DRR aims to make communities stronger and better prepared ...
, the dual effect of flooding and Covid-19 related job-losses increase distress and poverty of around 70% of the population, whose livelihoods are agriculture dependent and are not eligible for compensation without formal documentation or land rights.


Health challenges

Diseases such as
Dengue Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease caused by dengue virus, prevalent in tropical and subtropical areas. Asymptomatic infections are uncommon, mild cases happen frequently; if symptoms appear, they typically begin 3 to 14 days after ...
,
Malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...
and
Japanese Encephalitis Japanese encephalitis (JE) is an infection of the brain caused by the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). While most infections result in little or no symptoms, occasional inflammation of the brain occurs. In these cases, symptoms may include he ...
are likely to increase in stagnant water left by receding floods. Treatment of these diseases have been hindered by fear of the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions have hampered the efforts to destroy mosquito breeding sites and awareness-raising among at-risk populations. Resources available to the population have been obstructed due to infrastructure failures, causing difficulties of access for medical professionals. Government flood reporting dated 14 October 2020 established a total of 149 deaths resulting from floods and landslides. Accidental drowning of children constitutes a reported 44.5% of these deaths caused by children often misjudging the strength of the currents. Women and children are among the most affected by the floods, unable to access clean water and hygiene supplies to prevent the spread of disease. With over 200,000 COVID-19 cases reported in Assam, the spread of the virus has been exacerbated by the flooding with many not willing to relocate to relief camps thereby affecting relief efforts.


Lessons learned

As a result of the yearly monsoon related destruction, the South Asia Flash Flood Guidance System (South Asia FFGS) was launched on 23 October 2020 by the
World Meteorological Organization The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting international cooperation on atmospheric science, climatology, hydrology an ...
. The system will strengthen coordination of disaster risk reduction and preparedness in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka through forecasts and early warnings of dangers related to
flash floods A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice and snow. Flash fl ...
with the hope of lessening the loss of life and damage to property.


See also

*
Brahmaputra floods The Brahmaputra floods refers to a catastrophic flood event that occurred in 2012 along the Brahmaputra River and its tributaries, as well as in subsequent years. 2012 The 2012 Brahmaputra floods were an unprecedented flood event along the Brah ...
* 2022 Assam floods *
2020 China floods In early June 2020, heavy rains caused by the regional rainy season led to floods severely affecting large areas of southern China including the Yangtze basin and its tributaries. Rains and floods extended to central and eastern China during ...


References


External links


UNESCO World Heritage

World Meteorological Organization
{{Authority control Floods in Assam 2020s in Assam Brahmaputra River 2020 floods in Asia