Assam Floods 2022 have already snatched away the lives of 108 Indian citizens. They leave behind their remorseful families who might never be able to return to a life of normalcy. According to the recent update, more than 54 lakh people have been affected by the ongoing crisis in 32 districts of Assam. Barpeta, a small district of 16,93,622 people, have witnessed the worst of this tragedy. Around 10,32,561 people in Barpeta, constituting about 2/3rd of the district’s entire population, have lost everything, including their blood, relatives, cattle, homes and everything else you can imagine.
Millions are in dire need of help and require immediate facilities to save their lives. Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a statement on Wednesday in which he said that the government is closely monitoring the entire scenario of the Assam floods. He reassured everyone that the government would reach out to everyone affected due to the floods. Army, SDRF, NDRF and other government agencies have been deployed to help expedite the relief campaigns.
It is estimated that about 10,000 hectares of land have already been affected by the Assam floods. At least 33,77,518 animals have been either displaced or washed away in a lifeless manner by the floods. One hundred seventy-three roads have been damaged to such a state that it’s hard even to imagine a road had been constructed at those places. 2,84,875 people are officially in the relief camps, with the floods washing everything away for them. The government has established a total of 1,395 relief camps. And it seems all of these numbers will continue to jump as the Brahmaputra and the Barak river are not showing any signs of calming down.
What causes Floods in Assam every year?
Assam goes through this tragedy every year while the rest of India is fighting their urge to go to the Himalayas for a vacation. 31.05 lakh hectares of land in Assam, of a total of 78.523 lakh hectares, is flood-prone. The North-Eastern state is estimated to constitute 10 per cent of the total flood-prone area in the country. The floods in Assam destroy annually 9.31 lakh hectares of land.
Crop worth around ₹200 crores is lost every year in the floods in Assam. Brahmputra and the Barak river have almost 50 tributaries which ultimately becomes the reason for their overflow every year. The width of the Brahmputra river constantly widens yearly due to the soil erosion caused by the floods. Brahmputra has expanded more than 15 km in width over the years. More than 8,000 hectares of land are gulped by the floods every year.
Is the Crisis made Worse by Ignorance?
Indian digital media is paying no attention to the disastrous calamity that has befallen the people of Assam. The Maharashtra government topic has taken all the spotlight along with the nonsensical specials that highlight over-the-top unrealistic weaponry that other nations are building. Debates with no heads or tails are the only prime topic that the digital media is interested in broadcasting.
A video of a father carrying his newborn daughter while crossing a road full of water is making all the noise for all the wrong reasons. People are celebrating it as some kind of humanitarian victory while being ignorant about the larger crisis that has already taken too many lives. The government is trying their best but why their efforts only start to show after the crisis becomes too big is something we just can’t digest. Preventive measures could have been taken earlier since it’s not the first time that the Assam floods have ravaged the homes of millions.
Flickonclick urges you to do whatever little you can do to help the people in need. Every little effort counts and contributes towards something bigger.
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