Floods In Assam : In News
Floods in Assam have resulted in over 50 deaths, displacing 360,000 people.
- More than 40,000 hectares of crops and 130 wild animals have been affected by flooding.
Causes of Regular Floods in Assam:
- Assam has more than 120 rivers, several of which originate from the hills and mountains of extreme rainfall hotspots in Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya as well as in China and Bhutan.
- The Brahmaputra river, flowing through Assam, accumulates significant sediment as it reaches the lower elevation of Assam, slowing down and depositing sediment and debris.
- In summer, sedimentation intensifies due to soil erosion from glacier melting.
- The monsoon is intense in the Northeast. According to the State Disaster Management Authority, annual rainfall averages around 2900 mm with maximum precipitation in June and July.
- As per data from Assam government, 85% of the annual rainfall in the Brahmaputra basin takes place during the monsoon months.
- It also gets a good amount of rainfall in April and May due to thunderstorm (Kalbaisakhi) activities which account for flooding during heavy rain in June.
- The melting of glaciers and snow caps in the Tibetan Plateau due to global warming and climate change is causing increased water flow in the Brahmaputra River, impacting downstream regions like Assam with more frequent flooding.
