Assam’s riverine population gears up for floods amid COVID-19 outbreak

Residents of Amguri area in Assam’s Sivasagar district have decided not to bank on the state government or the local authorities to save them from the floods that ravage their homes every year come monsoon. They have started constructing country boats to keep themselves afloat during floods.

Guwahati (Assam):With the monsoon season fast approaching, lakhs of people residing in the riverine areas of Assam are gearing up to face floods and consequential erosion while battling the coronavirus outbreak.

Residents of Amguri area in Assam’s Sivasagar district have decided not to bank on the state government or the local authorities and have started constructing country boats to keep themselves afloat during floods that ravage their homes every year come monsoon.

"We are making four boats this season. While we'll sell two of them, two will be kept for the family. Monsoon is coming and it will bring floods. The embankments are yet to be repaired. The work on the embankment had started but it came to a halt due the outbreak of COVID-19. So we have no other option. These two boats will at least help us save our lives and the little belongings we have," said a resident of Rupohimukh village in Amguri area.

The embankments along the riverine areas need to be repaired every year ahead of the monsoon season to protect the people living in these vulnerable areas from the floodwaters.

The monsoon season usually hits the northeastern part of the country in the month of June in Assam, which results in at least four waves of flood affecting lakhs of people.

Last year’s floods, over 70 people had died in Assam while rendering lakhs homeless.