Letters to The EDITOR: Assam after the Floods

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Assam after the floods

Every year, the monsoon brings both hope and fear to Assam. While rain is important for agriculture, excessive rainfall and rising rivers often cause devastating floods. In 2026, floods once again affected many parts of the state, forcing families to leave their homes and seek shelter in safer places.

For flood-affected people, the real struggle does not end when the water level starts falling. After the flood, many families return to damaged houses, destroyed crops, lost livestock and contaminated drinking water. Roads and bridges may also be damaged, making it difficult to reach markets, schools and hospitals.

Farmers are among the worst affected. Floodwater can destroy paddy fields, vegetables and other crops within a few hours. Small businesses and daily-wage workers also lose their sources of income. Families who have already lost their belongings often have to spend money to repair their homes and restart their lives. Floods can disrupt children's education by turning schools into relief centres or making them inaccessible due to damaged roads. Many students also lose books, uniforms and other educational materials.

Relief camps provide temporary shelter, food and basic necessities, but long-term rehabilitation remains a major challenge. Assam needs not only emergency relief but also better flood management, stronger embankments, improved drainage, early-warning systems and proper rehabilitation programmes. The floods remind us that Assam’s relationship with its rivers is complex. The Brahmaputra and its tributaries support agriculture and livelihoods, but they can also bring destruction. So, we should not just fight the river but learn to live with it.

Rimjim Saikia,

Dibrugarh University