Assam Floods ECHO Response
In India, the annual monsoon season runs from June to the end of September; the peak flooding period is generally August-September, with negative consequences impacting through the following months.
In 2012, the Indian state of Assam has been the first to be affected, experiencing heavy rainfall which resulted in significant flooding in the 3rd week of June. The death toll stood at 116 on 5th of July (with 16 missing), with nearly 300 000 people displaced in 536 camps across 12 districts. According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), over 2 million people are affected by the flooding.
There have been as many as 42 breaches of embankments/dykes by the River Brahmaputra and its tributaries in 14 districts, which has caused the most severe devastation. All 27 districts in the state have been affected to a different extent. 65,000 hectares of crop land have been affected. Paddy for harvesting or the beds for paddy seedlings have been completely damaged or lost, together with significant loss of livestock in all areas. The extent of shelter damage is still being assessed by the government.
DG ECHO[1] deployed a needs assessment mission from the 3rd to the 6th of July 2012. The mission visited affected villages and displaced spontaneous settlements and relief camps in Barpeta, Golaghat, Jorhat and Sonitpur districts, considered as among the worst affected areas of the state.
The local response to the relief needs of the affected population has been satisfactory so far, but the question of early recovery needs remains. Receding water has showed that the damages were less than initially feared, but the monsoon season is just starting and Assam is a highly flood-prone state.
[1] European Commission’s Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection
In 2012, the Indian state of Assam has been the first to be affected, experiencing heavy rainfall which resulted in significant flooding in the 3rd week of June. The death toll stood at 116 on 5th of July (with 16 missing), with nearly 300 000 people displaced in 536 camps across 12 districts. According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), over 2 million people are affected by the flooding.
There have been as many as 42 breaches of embankments/dykes by the River Brahmaputra and its tributaries in 14 districts, which has caused the most severe devastation. All 27 districts in the state have been affected to a different extent. 65,000 hectares of crop land have been affected. Paddy for harvesting or the beds for paddy seedlings have been completely damaged or lost, together with significant loss of livestock in all areas. The extent of shelter damage is still being assessed by the government.
DG ECHO[1] deployed a needs assessment mission from the 3rd to the 6th of July 2012. The mission visited affected villages and displaced spontaneous settlements and relief camps in Barpeta, Golaghat, Jorhat and Sonitpur districts, considered as among the worst affected areas of the state.
The local response to the relief needs of the affected population has been satisfactory so far, but the question of early recovery needs remains. Receding water has showed that the damages were less than initially feared, but the monsoon season is just starting and Assam is a highly flood-prone state.
[1] European Commission’s Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection
