Unique geographical settings, non-functional sluice gates of the vulnerbale revenue circle of Cachar district led to inundation
Residents of Gumra Grant, 500 metres away from the Bangladesh border, took refuge at nearby schools during the 2022 floods. Photo: Rohini Krishnamurthy This is the first of a series of stories on the aftermath of the 2022 Assam Floods. Read the second, third and fourth parts here, here and here
The residents of Katigorah in Assam’s Cachar district have not seen anything as devastating as the 2022 floods.
In 2022, Cachar witnessed two waves of floods, according to a document submitted by the state government. The first one was from April 6 to June 12, the second lasted from June 13 to September 16.
During the first wave, Assam recorded 327 per cent excess precipitation on May 12-18, 2022. In the second wave, 235 per cent excess rainfall was recorded June 12-18, 2022.
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The waves were caused by constant rainfall. Cachar receives an average annual rainfall of more than 3,000 millimetres. On June 19, 2022, the district recorded 251.20 mm — the highest in the last 10 years.
“The first wave of the flood was managed by the administration but in the second wave, on the morning of June 20, the district administration was thinking about handing the rescue operations over to the Army,” said Shamim Ahmed Laskar, district project officer, District Disaster Management Authority, Silchar, Cachar.
The disaster levels reached L2 on June 21, requiring state intervention. L0 level is managed at the local level while the district takes over when the disaster is labelled L1. L2 would require assistance from the state government and L3 from the Centre.
Flooding occurred due to the Barak river, the second-largest river in the Northeast. It originates from Nagaland and Manipur and travels for 225 kilometres along Assam before flowing into Bangladesh. The river has around 10 tributaries and five sub-tributaries.
Cachar is vulnerable to flooding due to the unique geographic setting of the region, a highly potent monsoon rainfall regime, easily erodible geological formations in the upper catchments, seismic activity, accelerated rate of basin erosion, rapid channel aggradation (filling up with sediment), massive deforestation, intense land use pressure, explosive population growth especially in the flood-prone belt and ad-hoc type of temporary measures of flood control, read a 2022-2023 District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) report.
The district comprises five revenue circles: Katigorah, Silchar, Udharbond, Lakhipur and Sonai, covering 1,040 villages. “Of them, Katigorah is the most vulnerable,” Laskar said. A document from the DDMA shows that 80 per cent of Katigorah was affected by the 2022 floods.
Abdul, a villager from Gumra Grant in Katigorah, which sits just 500 metres from the Bangladesh border, recalled building a raft using banana stems to take refuge at a school nearby. He could not afford a normal boat, which can cost as much as Rs 15,000-20,000. “There was inundation for a month at least,” he said.
Sahara Begum, another resident of the village, estimated the economic damages due to the flood were around Rs 30,000-40,000.
Shefali Das (60) has seen 10-15 floods in her lifetime. “Earlier, floods were smaller, but they have become more damaging in recent years,” she said.
Read more: Analyzing Assam's 2022 Deluge
Supriya Mirdha, a resident of Bhatpara village, still cannot forget how the Larang river, a tributary of Barak, washed away all her belongings. “I lost livestock, utensils, blankets, everything. I could not save anything,” she said.
Residents said flooding is an annual occurrence. The months of May-end through October are considered flood season. However, the years 2004, 2010, 2012, 2018, and 2022 saw severe inundation.
The year 2022 was particularly damaging as the water stayed stagnant for 15-20 days. Some residents pointed out that non-functional sluice gates in the area were also responsible. “The shutter was closed. Water was not going out as a result,” Laskar explained.
The sluice gate is a movable gate that allows water to flow under it. It was constructed in the 1970s between India and Bangladesh borders. It stays closed to keep people from crossing the border and is opened only when excess water needs to be drained, Kanak Ranjan Nath, ex-vice chair of the school explained. The sluice gate, he added, has since been repaired and is under the water resources department.
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