The sheer scale of devastation in Upper Assam following the floods of July 2026 has emerged as one of the state’s worst deluge disasters in decades. Entire villages are submerged, crops have been destroyed and thousands have been displaced. Yet, what is most painful is that this tragedy was entirely predictable. Since Independence Assam has faced major floods in 1954, 1962, 1972, 1977, 1984, 1988, 1998, 2002, 2004 and 2012 (Source: waterresources.assam.gov.in). Almost every year, three to four waves of floods ravage the flood-prone areas of the state. My question to the administration is simple: Why has there still been no long-term plan to prevent these losses? Why do people, flora and fauna have to bear the brunt of a disaster we know will come every year? During the 2021 Assam Assembly election campaign the ruling party promised to make Assam “flood-free.” If the government in power could not deliver on that assurance and could not prevent these losses, it owes the people of Assam an explanation. Assam needs embankments, better drainage, wetland conservation, early warning systems and community-based flood management that actually work.
ALWYN FERNANDES, Benaulim
