Assam continues to be on edge as the flood, which has almost become an annual calamity, has claimed 66 people till Monday. The situation is grim situation in the state as 30.55 lakh people have so far been affected due to the deluge, as per an official report.
Floods have also left as many as 187 animals dead, including 16 rhinos, in the Kaziranga National Park.
Here are the five reasons why the northeastern state witnesses flood every year
One of the key reasons for annual deluge in the state is the high percentage of flood prone region. According to the Rastriya Barh Ayog (RBA), 31.05 lakh hectares of the total 78.523 lakh hectares area of the state is prone to frequent floods. And the reasons behind this high flood prone area percentage are both man-made and natural.
Assam and some other parts of the northeastern region are prone to frequent earthquakes, which causes landslides. The landslides and earthquakes send in a lot of debris in the rivers, causing the river bed to rise
Assam has also faced bank erosion around the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers as well as their tributaries. It is estimated that annually nearly 8000 hectares land is lost to erosion. Bank erosion has also affected the width of the Brahmaputra river, which has increased up to 15 km. The damage cost due to bank erosion is estimated to be of several hundred crore every year.