Phoenix International Multidisciplinary Research Journal, 2025
The Assam flood has been a well-known phenomenon for ages. Its frequency and intensity have been ... more The Assam flood has been a well-known phenomenon for ages. Its frequency and intensity have been increasing in recent years due to factors such as deforestation, unplanned urbanisation, encroachment of wetlands, and climate change-induced extreme weather events. These floods cause widespread damage to life, property, agriculture, and infrastructure, severely disrupting socioeconomic development and posing serious challenges to public health, education, and the environment. Despite substantial national and state-level efforts in disaster management and risk reduction, the situation remains grim. In fact, such a situation is expected to intensify in the face of growing uncertainties of climate change issues. Building community resilience is therefore of utmost importance alongside the state's efforts in order to effectively face and deal with the situation. In view of this, this paper investigates flood risk perception and preparedness practices among people in Dibrugarh, a flood-prone City of Assam. The goal is to understand the ground on which local communities stand in the fight against floods and, accordingly, tailor interventions that best suit their needs. Using a mixedmethods approach, the study combines household interviews with 200 respondents, in-depth interviews with the key informants, and focus group discussions with women, youth and elderly populations. Findings demonstrated the presence of risk awareness in the community, but a critical gap in local preparedness, poor communication and early warning systems, and insufficient initiatives from local institutions. The study therefore underscores the urgent need for targeted community-based initiatives, diversified risk communication, inclusive training, and robust institutional engagement to translate high-risk awareness into actionable preparedness that can enhance the resilience of communities against floods.
Uploads
Papers by Amit Sharma