- Novanita Sharma
Assam calls for HELP
It has been a harrowing time for us in Assam, where the death toll is rising, and we have millions of our people caught up in the devastating floods that have ravaged Assam throughout this month. This has been the worst flood situation in Assam after many years, which took an unprecedented turn with sudden flooding of areas in the districts of Charaideo and Sivasagar, where the plight of the victims pulled the people of Assam to shoulder the government for flood relief and reconstruction works in the flood-affected areas. The annual flooding of the Brahmaputra flood plains is not new to the people of Assam, but this year the unsuspecting deluge of places in the Charaideo and Sivasagar districts has drawn everyone’s attention to the ruthless devastation, deaths, and misery caused to people and wildlife because of Assam floods. These unexpected happenings of Assam floods 2026 raise many questions as we probe the main reasons behind this grim situation in Assam. It also raises questions about finding a permanent solution to this misfortune of Assam.
The annually recurring floods in Assam are a major ecological problem of Northeast India, the roots of this problem are not confined within the political demarcations of Assam, but are dependent on the preservation of natural forests, mountains, rivers, wetlands, and biodiversity across the ecologically sensitive states of the entire Northeast. The evolving flood situation across different parts of Assam depicts the interrelated natural existence of the Northeastern states, which share a common ecological continuum, including contiguous forests, inter-state rivers, and sprawling mountain ecosystems that connect the Northeastern states in a common fate of ecological security. Though the destruction of natural forests, diversion of forest lands and wetlands for anthropogenic activities within the state has contributed to this recurring calamity in Assam, but the puzzling situations like the present scenario of Charaideo and Sivasagar district, and the scary floods at Jorabat and many parts of Guwahati seems to be part of a greater picture of ecological damage inflicted on the combined natural landscape of Northeast India, including parts of Assam and the neighboring hill states like Nagaland and Meghalaya. In a broader perspective, this reflects the destruction of natural forests and natural ecosystems due to a lack of preemptive conservation measures in these areas. In this context, we have lots to learn from Nature’s Beckon’s drive for protection of natural forests in Assam, which contributed to ensure the ecological security in different parts of Assam. The Dihing Patkai National Park has a huge role in securing the future ecological safety of the people and wildlife in the Dibrugarh-Tinsukia districts, while the Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary in the BTAD region has played a crucial role in biodiversity conservation in western Assam. The Nature’s Beckon led ‘Save Poba Movement’ has connected the people in the Dhemaji district with the urgent need to protect the proposed Poba Wildlife Sanctuary, to save the riverine ecosystem of Dhemaji. Similarly, we have connected the riverine communities of Lakhimpur district with the importance of ‘Dulung-Subansiri landscape conservation’ for the effective conservation of the Dulung Reserve Forest in the Lakhimpur district of Assam. These participatory forest conservation movements of Assam can be replicated on a bigger scale across Northeast India to save the existing natural forests from degradation.
While the world likes to paint every natural calamity from forest fires to annual floods in the hue of climate crisis, in India we must understand that we can survive the unrelenting monsoons, the severe summers, and other environmental challenges if we agree to protect the natural forests of our country, if we judiciously develop our mountains, and ensure the safety of our rivers through collaborative and collective efforts for biodiversity conservation. Assam and the rest of Northeast India can come together to solve the curse of Assam floods, but first of all, we must recognize that Assam floods are a major environmental challenge for the entire Northeastern India.