Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Assam’s flood crisis has reached a breaking point. As of August 10, 100 people are dead. More than 700,000 residents have been displaced, while 49,000 remain stuck in relief camps. The destruction hits hardest in Nazira and Charaideo. Families lost their life savings, livestock, and homes to the rising water. The government pointed to extreme rain, but residents demand better.
Officials initially blamed a cloudburst in Nagaland. India Meteorological Department data later refuted that claim. This discrepancy highlights a gap in preparedness. The BJP promised a “Flood-Free Assam” in 2021. They have now renewed this with a “Badh Mukt Assam Mission.” This new plan pledges Rs 18,000 crore over five years. People are asking where the money went.
Former MLA Debabrata Saikia has long warned about illegal mining along the Dikhow River. He brought these concerns to the Gauhati High Court back in 2019. Now, he wants a Special Integrated Dikhow River Basin Rehabilitation Project. Scientific assessment is needed to link mining to the current flood severity. We need to know if the government inspected embankments before the monsoon. Were early-warning systems ready? Was rescue equipment pre-positioned?
Government officials cannot control the rain. They can manage the fallout. Instead of just announcing massive budgets, they must show transparency in planning and maintenance. Ordinary citizens are filling the void left by failing institutions. Volunteers are delivering medicine and food to those who lost everything. As the state remembers the words of Bhupen Hazarika, “Manuhe Manuhor Babe,” it is clear that public compassion cannot replace institutional responsibility. The people of Assam are waiting for answers. They deserve to know if the state did everything possible before the water rose.
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