Assam is a part of North East tropical region in India. Assam is in news since few weeks making headlines due to the destruction caused there because of floods. Assam floods almost every year. This year non stop rains and floods have affected over seven lakh people. Because of flooding and landslide the lands below the railway tracks have been swept away. Approximately seventy five thousand affected people are seeking shelter in relief camps.

But why does this happens every year??? According to the government data 40%  of it's area is prone to flood which when compared to nation's average is four times higher. Assam has a unique geography.The Brahmaputra river, the ninth largest water discharge in the world flows through Assam by dividing the state into two halves . And also  the Earthquake of 1950, changed the topography of many places in Tibet and North East India. Due to this every year extra water from it's neighbouring states of Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya makes it's way to Assam.

The Brahmaputra serves as both lifeline and threat for the people of Assam. It is the largest silt carrying river in the world, due to this the river bed is filled with excessive deposit of sediment this forces the water to flow outside the river bed. Also Brahmaputra is known for it's aggressive nature. The Brahmaputra river originates in the Himalayas and speeds through Arunachal Pradesh to enter Assam.  There more tributaries join the Brahmaputra in Assam, as a result too much water flows into Brahmaputra increasing it's chances to flood. Rapid Climate change has also contributed in this problem.

The action taken by the politicians are quite temporary and are giving rise to more serious threats. In the last fifty year, 5000 kilometres of embankments have been built. Embankments in general tries to change the course of flow of a river but unnaturally in order to keep an area safe from floods. These embankments increase flood chances in other areas because the water begins to flow much faster.

When Assam experiences flooding the entire supply chain get disrupted because important supplies pass through Assam in order to reach other North East states. Experts say we need an integrated basin management system in which river flow can be controlled using dams. We  need to initiate talks with countries through which the Brahmaputra river passes in order to jointly discuss and take water management decisions .