Climate change affecting flooding, tea cultivation in Assam

Floods are a normal occurrence in the north-eastern Indian state, but the greater volatility and intensity of rainfall has become a problem for farmers. Tea production, a sector that employs a large chunk of the population, has been particularly affected. For experts, a centralised government approach should be dropped in favour of one based on local communities.

Dispur (AsiaNews) – At least eight people lost their lives on Wednesday in the Indian state of Assam due to recent floods, bringing the overall death toll from events related to heavy rains this year to 56.

According to the local emergency management agency, more than 1.6 million people have been affected by floods in 29 districts in Assam, the country’s most vulnerable state to climate change.

Another 25,744 were transferred to 181 relief camps and over 39,000 hectares of cultivated land have suffered damage.

Assam, one of the seven states of north-eastern India (dubbed the Seven Sisters) is crossed by large rivers, including the Brahmaputra, which originates in Tibet, so residents have always lived with floods, but never with this frequency and intensity.

“The flooding in Majuli was sudden and occurred due to the combined impact of the rising water of the Brahmaputra River and the gushing water from its tributary, the Subansiri,” said Partha Jyoti Das, head of climate and water hazards at non-profit Aaranyak, speaking to Down To Earth.

“People may have had a false sense of security about the strength of the embankment. Also, the fact that it is normal for the water levels in both the Brahmaputra and the Subansiri to increase and decrease throughout the monsoon season,” Das added.

During the rainy season, which usually begins in June, at least four-five flood cycles occur every year, but unlike the past, experts explain, flood cycles are no longer predictable. Today, for example, the rain expected in a year can fall within a few weeks.

The number of landslides has also increased, about a thousand between 2016 and 2022, a major issue for the agricultural sector, which employs almost 70 per cent of Assam's workforce.

According to a new report on the state of marginal farmers, agriculture is the sector most affected by rain-related events (floods, droughts, sudden rains, late monsoons), more than by extreme heat.

This is also affecting tea crops. Along with southern China, Assam is the only place on Earth where the tea plant is endemic. Over 650 million kilos of tea are produced here every year, 52 per cent of India’s total output and 13 per cent of world production.

Data released by the Tea Board of India indicate a drop in production in 2023-24, to 661 million kilos, from 689 million in 2022-23. Some 672 million kilos were produced In 2021-22, and 626 million in 2020-21, compared to 695 million in 2019-20 and more than 700 million in 2018-19.

“With the climate change, we witness either long rainless periods, or high-intensity downpours for a shorter duration. This results in water logging and soil erosion. Also, the day temperature is much higher than tea bushes can adapt to. Moreover, even the tea community cannot work under extreme heat conditions,” said Bidyananda Barkakoty, adviser to the North Eastern Tea Association, former vice chairman of Tea Board India, and council member of the Tea Research Association.

After an analysis of the action plans implemented so far, experts highlighted a series of measures that could be taken to reduce the risk from extreme weather events. This would require the involvement of various communities (Assam is home to more than 100 different ethnic groups) at the village and panchayat level, as well as investments in new technologies.

According to research by the environmental think tank iForest, the central government has underestimated the potential for renewable energy production in Assam, setting it at only 14,235 megawatts, while the potential for clean energy is 2,000 gigawatts. Failure to develop this resource is largely due to excessive centralisation.

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• assam
• climate change
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