As the flood situation in Assam has improved, it is time to consider mitigation or discuss adaptation strategies. The second wave of flood snatched away the lives of 109 people, and according to the reports last Monday, over 55,000 people remain in relief camps. Over 1,300 villages under Cachar, Dhubri, Nagaon, Dhemaji, Golaghat, Tamulpur, Chirang, Darrang, Goalpara, Karimganj, etc districts were under flood water that damaged more than 25,000 hectares of crop area. The annual flood, which embraced the incessant rainfalls, killed over 10,50,000 domestic animals and poultry in Assam and damaged several embankments, roads, bridges, buildings, and other infrastructures.

Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve in central Assam also went under flood water from the swollen Brahmaputra river, and no less than 174 wild animals, including 10 rhinos and 144 deer, died due to drowning and other causes. The park authorities successfully rescued 133 animals, including two rhino calves, during the flood time, and 116 animals have already been released after necessary treatments. The field director, Sonali Ghosh, informed the media that most forest camps (out of 233) inside the park were submerged for many days.

The safe habitat for the world's largest single-horn rhinoceros population experiences flooding yearly. As the core 430 square kilometre area goes under the water, the animals take refuge in the highlands erected inside it. Many animals also cross the National Highway-715 on its southern border to climb the hilly areas of Karbi Anglong. While crossing the highway, some precious animals are killed by speeding vehicles, and hence, the authorities instruct drivers to maintain a safe speed limit to avoid any unwanted incidents. Forest officials often escort vehicles while crossing the park to prevent accidents involving fleeing animals. The UNESCO World Heritage site, which gives shelter to more than 2600 one-horned rhinos along with Asiatic elephants, water buffalo, tigers, etc., faced a major flood in 2017 when over 350 animals died due to drowning and colliding with moving vehicles on the highway.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has recently won a consecutive third term in New Delhi, assured the state government of full cooperation in dealing with the deluge. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also called Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to reassure all possible support from the Centre. Union ministers Sarbananda Sonowal and Pabitra Margherita, both hail from Assam, assessed the flood situation in various parts and assured the people that the governments in New Delhi and Dispur will look for a permanent solution to the recurring flood problem. Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria also visited flood-ridden areas and took stock of the situation.

CM Sarma personally visited many affected areas to review the ground situation and interact with the displaced families. He also directed the State ministers, legislators and concerned officials to monitor the situation closely and take necessary actions as and when needed. State ministers Pijush Hazarika, Bimal Bora, Ranoj Pegu, Jayanta Mallaburuah, Jogen Mahan, Atul Bora, Keshav Mahanta, Ranjeet Kumar Dass, etc., visited the affected villages and reviewed the relief and rescue operations. Various social organisations supported the residents and provided phenyl, bleaching powder, livestock feed, etc., to address the post-flood diseases.

Assam's neighbouring States, namely Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram, also experienced relentless rains and subsequent floods. Heavy rains inflated the rivers of Manipur, such as Imphal, Thoubal, Nambul, Iril, etc., submerging vast areas of arable land and residential localities. The Brahmaputra and other rivers inundated a large area of neighbouring Bangladesh, where 40,000 people were forced to shelter in government-run relief camps. Bangladesh's recent wave of floods affected 17 of the 64 districts. By now, two million people are facing flood furies, and ten individuals have lost their lives due to the disaster.

Mitigating a natural disaster like the yearly flood in Assam may be challenging. The government schemes (mostly embankment-centric) are announced regularly and implemented but are hardly effective. Once, we talked about controlling the flood. We must admit that we must adopt ways to live with the flood. Even if we cannot mitigate the flood menace, its devastating impact can be minimised with proper policies. Moreover, New Delhi must discuss with upper riparian countries like Bhutan and Tibet to receive timely alerts about unusually high rainfalls and hydropower activities (including damming water resources). It's time for the government to redefine the flood adaptation measures, offering hope for some positive outcomes for the common people.