After deadly floods in India’s Assam, experts call for better warnings and long-term planning

Guwahati, India (AP) — Rojo Neog's body was found three days after he was swept away by floodwaters during heavy monsoon rains in Assam state on July 19. His niece, Priyakshi Gogoi, said the river Dikhow rose from knee-deep to neck-deep in just 30 minutes, with no warning issued. Over 100 people have died in Assam this year, describing it as its worst flooding in six decades.

Climate and disaster experts attribute the increase in deadly flooding to more intense rainfall, sand mining, deforestation, wetland loss, urbanization, and heavy reliance on embankments. They argue Assam and other upstream states must shift focus from costly flood control and relief efforts to better early warning systems, scientific mapping of risks, and restoring natural water absorption from forests, wetlands, and floodplains.

Himanshu Thakkar, of the environmental group South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, emphasized the need to understand flood risks better and forecast them well, so communities can better prepare and reduce disaster casualties. India experiences heavy monsoon rains annually, replenishing rivers and agricultural lands, but rising global temperatures are making the rains more erratic and intense, leading to catastrophic floods.

Assam, with 40% of its land vulnerable to flooding from the Brahmaputra and smaller rivers, is one of India's most flood-prone areas.