Deforestation on Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh hills worsened Assam floods
Assam's 2026 floods hit hard, especially in Sivasagar, Charaideo, and Jorhat.
What made it worse? Massive deforestation and mining on the hills of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
When heavy rain hit, bare slopes could not hold water or soil, so all that runoff rushed into Assam's rivers, overwhelming already weak embankments.
IIT Guwahati hydrologist urges forest restoration
Experts say restoring forests upstream is key to preventing future floods.
Professor Arup Kumar Sarma, the hydrologist at IIT Guwahati, suggests using Ecological Management Practices (EMPs), such as planting strategic vegetation and harvesting rainwater, to help hills soak up more water.
A pilot project near Guwahati already saw a dried-up well come back to life thanks to these methods.
But for real change, Assam and its neighbors need to work together and adopt sustainable land use before the next disaster hits.