Brahmaputra floods

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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.

Contents

2012

The 2012 Brahmaputra floods were an unprecedented flood event along the Brahmaputra River and its tributaries due to significant monsoon rains in India, Bangladesh and Myanmar. 124 people were killed by the flooding and landslides, and about six million people were displaced. The worst hit area was the state of Assam in India. Flooding significantly affected Kaziranga National Park, where 540 animals died including 16 rhinos.

In September 2011, the Brahmaputra River flowed through braided channels, but a year later, the channels could not be detected in the swollen river. During the monsoon season (June–October), floods are a common occurrence in India. Occasionally, massive flooding causes huge losses to crops, life and property. Deforestation in the Brahmaputra watershed has resulted in increased siltation levels, flash floods, and soil erosion in critical downstream habitat, such as the Kaziranga National Park in middle Assam. [1] [2] [3]

Helicopters were deployed to drop food supplies to nearly 10,000 people in six villages where highway access was cut off by the flooding, about 550 km west of [Guwahati]

2013

In 2013, the Brahmaputra River and its tributaries flooded, triggered by heavy rainfall at the end of June in the neighboring state of Arunachal Pradesh state through Brahmaputra river and its tributaries. [4] This series of floods submerged 12 districts out of 27 in the state of Assam, where more than 1,00,000 people were affected. [5] [6] The flood also affected Kaziranga National Park and the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary where many animals moved to higher ground in order to save themselves from the flood. [7] The floods also affected some of the northern districts of Bangladesh, where 100,000 people suffered from a scarcity of food and pure drinking water. [8]

Flood report

According to Assam State Disaster Management Authority's flood report as of 13 July 2013 totally 12 districts out of the 27 districts in the state were affected, the districts are Bongaigaon, Chirang, Dhemaji, Golaghat, Jorhat, Kamrup, Karimganj, Lakhimpur, Morigaon, Nagaon, Sivasagar and Tinsukia.

In which 396 villages affected and around 7000 hectares of agricultural land were destroyed. Many roads and bridges were washed away cutting all road links to rest of the state. [9] Eight relief camps have been set up in Dhemaji and Chirang districts where about 3,000 people have been given shelter. The flood victims claimed there were no river embankments at various places or those breached by earlier floods were not repaired. [10]

2015

Assam flood in 2015 Assam flood in 2015.jpg
Assam flood in 2015

2015 Assam floods were floods in the Indian state of Assam which were triggered by heavy rainfall at the end of August in neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh state through Brahmaputra river and its tributaries. The floods are reported to have caused the deaths of 42 people and numerous landslides, road blockages and affected 16.5 lakh people in 21 districts. [11]

Flooding affected 2,100 villages and destroyed standing crops across an area of 4,40,000 acres. [11] [12] [13] [14] In the Dhubri district alone, more than 400 villages are now almost impossible to reach making it difficult to send aid to the suffering civilians. [15] However, this is not the first time the Assam state has experienced destructive flooding; the region is possibly India's most flood-prone state and has experienced at least 12 major floods since 1950. [16] Although always prone to floods, the frequency of disastrous floods was increased in the area after the 1950 Assam-Tibet earthquake, also referred to as the "1950 Great Earthquake". [16]

2016

The state of Assam within India India Assam locator map.svg
The state of Assam within India

The 2016 Assam floods were caused by large rains over the Northeastern Indian state of Assam in July 2016. The flooding had affected 18 lakh people, and flooded the Kaziranga National Park. [17] As of 1 August 2016, 28 people had been killed as a result of the flooding starting 17 July, according to a report by the State Disaster Management Authority. [18]

The north-eastern states of India saw heavy rainfalls in July 2016. The state of Assam faced around 60% more rains than it received in July 2015. [19] The rainfall resulted in flooding of various rivers and on 5 July the Brahmaputra River had crossed its danger mark level in the seven districts of Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Nagaon, Jorhat, Golaghat, Morigaon and Biswanath. [20]

The floods have affected more than 16 lakh human lives, and people choose to abandon their households and livestock, and escape with help of homemade rafts. Mobile phone networks, along with power transmission, have been hampered in many regions of the state. [17] Around 4,90,000 acres of farming land was affected by the floods. [18] The Assam Branch Indian Tea Association (ABITA) has estimated a 21-30% crop loss of Assam tea. The state of Assam had produced 63.1 crore kg of tea in a year

Wild life

The Kaziranga National Park in proximity with the Brahmaputra River. Kaziranga-National-Park-map-en-mod.svg
The Kaziranga National Park in proximity with the Brahmaputra River.

The floods have affected the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary [20] and the Kaziranga National Park, a World Heritage Site. As of 2 August 2016, around 300 wild animals have been reported to have drowned, while around 81 percent of the Kaziranga National Park was under water. This includes 21 great one-horned rhinoceroses (Rhinoceros unicornis) and about 219 Indian hog deer (Hyelaphus porcinus). [21] [22] The park officially reported deaths of "11 wild boar, nine swamp deer, six sambar, three buffalo, two hog badger, one porcupine and one python" in the time span of 25 July to 31 July. [22]

Officers and local people rescued 100 wild animals, including 9 rhinoceroses. [23] These were taken for treatment at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation located within Kaziranga. [22]

Rescue work

About 300 makeshift camps were erected to rehabilitate people displaced by the flooding. [17] Various schools were used as relief camps. National Disaster Response Force took up the relief works. [18] An NGO named "Save the Children" worked for the rehabilitation of children and their families in the three districts of Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and Majuli. [24]

Seven public-sector oil companies Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Indian Oil Corporation, Oil India Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, Gas Authority of India Limited, and Numaligarh Refinery Limited donated a total of 15 crore (US$2.0 million) towards Chief Minister's Relief Fund. [25]

2017

The state of Assam within India India Assam locator map.svg
The state of Assam within India

The 2017 Northeast India floods were caused by overflowing of Brahmaputra river in the state of Assam in July 2017 affecting four Indian states: Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur. [26] [27] As of 14 July 2017, at least 85 people were dead [28] as a result of the flooding and 4 lakh people have been affected and 5,00,000 have been homeless. [29] Nearly 60 animals, mostly deer and wild boars, perished in the floods. [30]

The flood-affected 15 districts of Assam state that includes Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Golaghat, Sivasagar, Cachar, Dhemaji, Karimganj, Sonitpur, Hojai, Biswanath, Majuli, Barpeta, Chirang, Nagaon and Nalbari. [31] It has also inundated large tracts of Kaziranga National Park, Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary and Nameri National Park. [32]

Rescue work

The state government of Assam set up 128 relief camps under the surveillance of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal for people displaced, and has made arrangements for drinking water, food and medical teams and rescue goods. 154 people died due to drowning, electrocution and diseases caused due to water contamination.

Government has provided health and medical facilities in the state. [33]

2018

The 2018 Floods in the Tributaries of the Brahmaputra affected 4.5 lakh people across the districts of Dhemaji, Barpeta, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Majuli and Dibrugarh in the state of Assam. According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), total 12 persons lost their lives in the first wave of flood in the year. The floods inundated 11,243 hectares of agricultural lands with standing crops in four districts. [34]

2019

The 2019 Brahmaputra Floods, till 16 July, affected a total of 52,59,142 people, 1,63,962.02 hectares of crop area, in 30 districts in the state of Assam. [35] In the State, death toll rose to 59 on 20 July. At least 3,024 villages in the affected districts continued to be underwater and 44,08,142 people are hit in Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Sonitpur district, Darrang, Barpeta, Nalbari, Chirang, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, South Salmara, Goalpara, Kamrup, Kamrup Metro, Morigaon, Nagaon, Karbi Anglong, Golaghat, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Cachar and Karimganj districts. [36]

Notably, in this wave of floods, 2400 an endangered species of Indian rhinoceros in Kaziranga National Park were badly affected by the Flood. [37]

Animals killed and rescued in Kaziranga National Park [37]
AnimalDeadRescued
Rhino 122
Elephant11
Hog Deer10149
Swamp Deer62
Wild Bear9nil
Sambar91
Others35
Total14160

2020

In 2020, floods were caused due to heavy rain in Assam and rising level of water in Brahmaputra. [38] More than 30,000 were affected across 5 districts and crops were destroyed. [39] The floods also coincided with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in India in Assam.

Till July, the floods along with landslides affected 1.6 million people in 22 districts of Assam and casualties rising to 33. [40] [41] 2 people died in Arunachal Pradesh due to landslide. [42] Around 2,200 villages were under water and 87,000 hectares of crop area was damaged, The water level was above danger mark in several cities. [43] More than 50 percent of the area of Kaziranga National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary are affected by floods forcing animals to move to other places. [44]

2022

The floods in May, 2022 were caused due to above normal rainfall across the state. [45] As of 25th May, more than 6 lakh people were affected and 25 have lost their lives. [46] [47] According to Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), thousands of villages and more than 60,000 hectares (600 km2) of crop area have been affected across the state. Authorities are running several relief camps and distribution centres across the state sheltering thousands of people. [48]

Railway lines were also affected due to flooding and landslides. [49]

Related Research Articles

Brahmaputra River River in Tibet, India, and Bangladesh

The Brahmaputra, also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachal Pradesh, and Luit in Assamese, is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, China, India, and Bangladesh. As such, it is known by various names in the region: Assamese: লুইত luit[luɪt], ব্ৰহ্মপুত্ৰ নদ Brohmoputro nod, ব্ৰহ্মপুত্ৰ নদ Brohmoputro[bɹɔɦmɔputɹɔ]; Sanskrit: ब्रह्मपुत्र, IAST: Brahmaputra; Tibetan: ཡར་ཀླུངས་གཙང་པོ་, Wylie: yar klung gtsang po Yarlung Tsangpo; simplified Chinese: 布拉马普特拉河; traditional Chinese: 布拉馬普特拉河; pinyin: Bùlāmǎpǔtèlā Hé. It is also called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra and red river of India. It is the 9th largest river in the world by discharge, and the 15th longest.

Assam State in northeastern India

Assam is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of 78,438 km2 (30,285 sq mi). The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur to the east; Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram and Bangladesh to the south; and West Bengal to the west via the Siliguri Corridor, a 22 kilometres (14 mi) wide strip of land that connects the state to the rest of India. Assamese and Bodo are the official languages of Assam, while Bengali is official in the Barak Valley.

Kaziranga National Park National park in the state of Assam, India

Kaziranga National Park is a national park in the Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam, India. The sanctuary, which hosts two-thirds of the world's great one-horned rhinoceroses, is a World Heritage Site. According to the census held in March 2018 which was jointly conducted by the Forest Department of the Government of Assam and some recognized wildlife NGOs, the rhino population in Kaziranga National Park is 2,413. It comprises 1,641 adult rhinos ; 387 sub-adults ; and 385 calves.

Lakhimpur district District of Assam in India

Lakhimpur is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarter is located at North Lakhimpur. The district is bounded on the North by Siang and Papumpare districts of Arunachal Pradesh and on the East by Dhemaji District and Subansiri River. Majuli District stands on the Southern side and Biswanath District is on the West.

Dhemaji is a City in Assam and it is the headquarters of Dhemaji district, Assam, India.

Dhemaji district District of Assam in India

Dhemaji district is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Dhemaji and commercial headquarters being located Silapathar. The district occupies an area of 3237 km² and has a population of 686,133. Main religions are Hindus 548,780, Muslims 10,533, Christians 6,390.

The history of Kaziranga National Park in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam, India, can be traced back to the beginning of the twentieth century, in 1904. It now is a World Heritage Site and hosts two-thirds of the world's Great One-horned Rhinoceroses, tigers, and many other endangered animals.

Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary

Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary (Pron:ˈpəʊbɪˌtɔ:rə) is a wildlife sanctuary on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra in Morigaon district in Assam, India. It was declared in 1987 and covers 38.85 km2 (15.00 sq mi), providing grassland and wetland habitat for the Indian rhinoceros. Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary holds one of the largest Indian rhinoceros populations in Assam.

2007 South Asian floods

The 2007 South Asian floods were a series of terrible floods in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and Bangladesh. News Agencies, citing the Indian and Bangladeshi governments, place the death toll in excess of 2,000. By 3 August approximately 20 million had been displaced and by 10 August some 30 million people in India, Bangladesh and Nepal had been affected by flooding.

Jonai is a Sub-Division of Dhemaji District in the state of Assam in India.

The 2008 Indian floods were a series of floods in various states of India during the 2008 monsoon season. The floods mostly affected the western regions of Maharashtra state and Andhra Pradesh as well as northern Bihar. In India, the monsoon season generally lasts from June to September.

Upper Assam division Division in Assam, India

Upper – Assam is an administrative division of the state of Assam comprising the undivided Lakhimpur and Sivasagar districts, of the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra valley. The other divisions are: Lower – Assam, North Assam and Hills and Barak Valley. The division is under the jurisdiction of a Commissioner, stationed at Jorhat.

National Disaster Response Force Indian specialized force

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is an Indian specialized force constituted "for the purpose of special response to a threatening disaster situation or disaster" under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. The "Apex Body for Disaster Management" in India is the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The Chairman of the NDMA is the Prime Minister.

This is a list of notable recorded floods that have occurred in India. Floods are the most common natural disaster in India. The heaviest southwest the Brahmaputra and other rivers to distend their banks, often flooding surrounding areas.

Assam – 16th largest, 15th most populous and 26th most literate state of the 29 states of the democratic Republic of India. Assam is at 14th position in life expectancy and 8th in female-to-male sex ratio. Assam is the 21st most media exposed states in India. The Economy of Assam is largely agriculture based with 69% of the population engaged in it. Growth rate of Assam's income has not kept pace with that of India's during the Post-British Era; differences increased rapidly since the 1970s. While the Indian economy grew at 6 percent per annum over the period of 1981 to 2000, the same of Assam's grew only by 3.3 percent.

2017 Gujarat flood

Following heavy rain in July 2017, the Indian state of Gujarat was affected by severe flooding. The floods were reported to have caused total 224 deaths between 1 June and 31 July 2017. 16 people had died in neighbouring Rajasthan state by 31 July.

In mid-July 2019, monsoonal downpours caused widespread flooding and landslides across South Asia. As of 14 July, at least 89 people died across Bangladesh, China, India, and Nepal. Hardest-hit is Nepal, where at least 55 deaths occurred.

The 2019 Indian floods were a series of floods that affected over thirteen states in late July and early August 2019, due to excessive rains. At least 200 people died and about a million people were displaced. Karnataka and Maharashtra were the most severely affected states. People died but many were rescued with the help of the Indian Navy.

1993 India floods 1993 India floods

The 1993 India floods was a deadliest flood caused by several days long heavy monsoon rains and severe weather that occurred in July 1993 across eight states in the north of the country. Severe floods left 530 fatalities and millions people went homeless, including from Haryana. Punjab with 350 deaths was the most affected state where "1.2 million acres of crops" were extensively damaged, mostly from Patiala, north-western region of the state. Flash floods swept away major railway tracks, roads, and bridges, leading to disrupt the communications between the northeastern states and the rest of the country. Initial reports cited one hundred deaths in Gujarat.

2020 Assam floods

2020 Assam floods refers to the significant flood event of the Brahmaputra River in the Indian north-eastern state of Assam and coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic. 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.

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