In the early hours of 19 July, as floodwaters swept through Charing village in Assam’s Sivasagar district, Bornali Baruah and her husband faced a daunting challenge: rescuing her 97-year-old mother-in-law, Lokada Duarah, who was nearly bedridden and unable to walk.
With no boats, rescue teams, or neighbours available, the family crafted a raft from banana trunks. Holding hands and using sticks to steady themselves against the strong currents, they slowly navigated through waist-deep water, reaching a relief shelter on a national highway about an hour later.
The floods in Assam have been catastrophic, affecting nearly 1.2 million people across 25 districts, destroying over 19,000 homes, and forcing more than 75,000 individuals into relief camps. Sivasagar is among the worst-hit, with 10 districts and 456 villages impacted and a death toll reaching 100.
Unprecedented Flooding in Charing
For Baruah, 40, the floods were unprecedented in her lifetime. Having lived in Charing all her life, she recalls no prior flood of this magnitude, despite the village’s proximity to multiple rivers including the Brahmaputra, Dikhow, and Mitong.
The rising waters submerged her single-storey, eight-room house under five feet of water, destroying much of her livelihood. Once a journalist, Baruah transitioned to animal husbandry and became Assam’s 'Best Livestock Farmer' in 2019. Her farm included around 300 goats, 500 ducks, 1,000 chickens, and fish, but the flood wiped out most of her livestock and damaged equipment, furniture, electronics, and vehicles.
With no insurance available for livestock, Baruah faces significant financial loss. She and her family spent 10 days in a relief camp, enduring power outages and limited connectivity, relying on government rations and support from fellow evacuees who helped care for her surviving animals.
Experts Cite Environmental and Human Factors
Dhrubajyoti Sahariah, geography professor and director of the Centre for Brahmaputra Studies at Gauhati University, explains that while flooding is natural in the Brahmaputra Valley, recent years have seen increased frequency and severity due to continuous heavy rains and sediment buildup from upstream regions.
Changes in land use, deforestation, mining, and infrastructure development without proper hydrological planning have contributed to floods reaching previously unaffected areas like Charing. Sahariah stresses the need for basin-wide coordination among states to manage the river system effectively.
Adapting to a New Reality
Despite the devastation, Baruah is determined to remain in her ancestral home. She is considering raising her house’s foundation and creating a raised platform for safety during future floods. Stockpiling supplies ahead of heavy rains is also part of her preparation strategy.
Reflecting on her experience, Baruah rejects the notion of becoming a climate refugee, expressing hope to restore her family’s economic and mental well-being and adapt to coexisting with floods.
