Floods in Assam put adolescent girls at greater risk

The Brahmaputra basin in Northeast India is highly flood-prone, with Assam experiencing annual monsoon floods that affect millions of people. Ancient texts describe Assam as a waterscape, informs Arupjyoti Saikia in his book The Unquiet River: A Biography of the Brahmaputra, as it has more rivers than any other similar place in the world because of the Brahmaputra and her numerous tributaries. By the late 20th century, around 40% of the valley’s total land area was regularly inundated by annual floods. With increasing global warming and climate change, more areas could become vulnerable to periodic flooding in the long term.

Assam’s peculiar geographical alignment also adds to its vulnerability. Two valleys surrounded by hill states have narrow outlets into Bangladesh, meaning heavy rainfall in the hills of Arunachal Pradesh or Bhutan can contribute to flooding in Assam. The Brahmaputra and Barak, along with 120 tributaries and distributaries, carry large volumes of sediment, contributing to the expansion of the Brahmaputra’s floodplain and extensive inundation.

For communities living in riverine areas, these floods can mean repeated displacement and losses. Earlier experiences from flood-prone areas show that people living in chaparis often lose livestock, domestic animals, crops and stored grain. When homes go under water, families move to higher ground and often depend on makeshift shelters and limited food supplies.

Floods can also enrich soil and support farming. However, changes in climate and rainfall, glacial melt and erosion have contributed to more frequent and severe flooding. For vulnerable communities, recurring floods therefore affect not only homes and livelihoods but also access to basic services.

Adolescent girls face multiple disruptions

These challenges are particularly significant in Sonitpur district, where communities face geographical isolation, fragile housing, poor transportation and communication networks, limited healthcare facilities and inadequate educational infrastructure.

The experiences of adolescent girls in such communities, however, remain under-represented in research on flood vulnerability in Assam.

This open access study titled "Flood induced vulnerabilities, Household losses, and access to essential services among adolescent girls in riverine communities of Sonitpur district, Assam", by Mandira Devi and Nibedita Paul, published in the International Journal of Arts and Social Science, examined how recurrent flooding affects adolescent girls in flood-affected riverine households.

The study looked at household losses, social and health-related vulnerabilities, and the availability, accessibility and effectiveness of essential services during and after floods. The findings show how losses at the household level can quickly become disruptions in girls’ everyday lives.

Losing homes, belongings and livelihoods

Riverbank erosion and flooding caused significant damage to housing. Around two-fifths of households experienced destruction of housing infrastructure, while 28% of girls reported prolonged waterlogging and structural damage, including weakening or collapse of houses because of foundation damage. Houses made from materials such as mud, clay and wood, including kutcha and semi-pucca houses, were particularly vulnerable.

Almost four fifths of households lost agricultural land and stored grain, while nearly 70% reported losing livestock. These losses reduced household income and food availability. Around 28% of households also reported losing jewellery. 

The loss of everyday belongings was also widespread. As many as 98% of girls reported losing clothes, books, medicines, valuable documents and other important items during floods. For adolescent girls, losing school materials can make it harder to return to education after a flood. The loss of medicines and documents can also make it more difficult to access healthcare and other essential services during recovery. These losses were accompanied by another disruption: displacement.

Displacement affects privacy and education

Almost half of the households had to move to relief camps. Another 35% stayed along roadsides or in temporary and unsecured shelters, while 16% moved to other locations during floods. For adolescent girls, displacement affected privacy, personal hygiene, menstrual hygiene management and regular educational routines.

Schools were also disrupted. Flooding damaged books and uniforms, made roads inaccessible and sometimes resulted in schools being used as relief shelters. Families facing the task of rebuilding their homes also kept girls away from school for extended periods. These disruptions contributed to irregular attendance and, in some cases, permanent school dropout. The effects of displacement and livelihood losses also extended to food and nutrition.

Food shortages affect health

As many as 73% of the adolescent girls depended on relief food during floods, while 65% reported inadequate access to nutritious food. Almost half of those interviewed experienced food shortages because of livelihood losses. Around 41% reported eating fewer meals, while 43% experienced weakness or fatigue. The loss of agricultural land, livestock and stored grain reduced household access to food and income, while dependence on relief supplies limited dietary choice and diversity. These conditions were reflected in the health problems reported by the girls.

Losses experienced by girls from flood affected areas

Graph created from data in the study

Reproductive health remains a concern

Around 35.2% of girls reported anaemia or iron deficiency, while 28.1% reported other undernutrition related deficiencies. Another 16.9% reported menstrual problems or irregular periods. Urinary tract or other vaginal infections were reported by 9.8%, gastrointestinal disorders by 5.8%, and respiratory problems or skin infections by 4.2% during and after floods.

Inadequate nutrition, unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation and disrupted healthcare services contributed to these health challenges. Privacy and sanitation were also major concerns. Almost half of the girls interviewed said they lacked privacy and protection in relief camps, while 60% reported inadequate access to safe sanitation and bathing facilities.

Flood emergencies also increased girls’ responsibilities at home. Around 43.7% reported taking on additional caregiving responsibilities, including looking after younger siblings, older family members or sick relatives. Alongside physical health problems, displacement, uncertainty and disrupted daily routines contributed to anxiety, emotional stress and psychological insecurity.

Health problems experienced by the girls from flood affected areas

Image constructed using data from the study

Essential services remain difficult to access

The disruption did not end when the immediate floodwaters receded. Damaged roads, transport difficulties and disrupted healthcare services continued to affect access to health facilities. Menstrual hygiene emerged as one of the most significant gaps. Around 69% of the girls reported inadequate access to menstrual hygiene materials, clean water and private spaces during floods. "Relief camps provide basic shelter and food, but facilities for girls, such as separate toilets, bathing spaces, and sanitary materials, are often inadequate." said a village leader.

Around 90% of girls reported inadequate availability of sanitary napkins, while 87.5% reported insufficient menstrual hygiene facilities. All respondents reported the absence of safe systems for menstrual waste disposal. Most respondents were also dissatisfied with access to safe drinking water, sanitation, bathing facilities and privacy in relief camps. Healthcare services were perceived as inadequate, with 81.2% reporting insufficient healthcare support for adolescent girls and pregnant women, as well as a lack of essential medicines.

The study found that the essential service needs of adolescent girls were not fully addressed during flood emergencies or the recovery period. The resulting gaps exposed girls to health risks and unsafe and unhygienic conditions.

Building a more gender responsive flood response

Based on these findings, the study recommends measures to strengthen the resilience of adolescent girls in flood-prone riverine communities. These include developing gender responsive relief camps with safe shelters, separate toilets, private bathing areas, adequate lighting and menstrual waste disposal facilities. The study also recommends integrating menstrual hygiene management into disaster response through dignity kits containing sanitary products and hygiene essentials.

For education and nutrition, it recommends flood resilient schools and Anganwadi Centres, along with temporary learning centres and mobile nutrition services during floods. The study further recommends mobile medical teams and boat clinics to provide reproductive health, nutrition, mental health and menstrual health services. It calls for stronger community-based protection involving ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, teachers and local leaders to address child protection risks, early marriage and gender-based violence.

Finally, the study recommends involving adolescent girls in disaster preparedness and risk reduction programmes so that their needs are reflected in disaster planning and resilience building. For girls living through recurrent floods, the effects are not limited to the period when water covers their homes and roads. Loss of belongings, disrupted schooling, food shortages, health problems, displacement and gaps in essential services can continue through the recovery period. The study’s findings point to the need for disaster responses that account for these experiences and ensure that adolescent girls have access to education, healthcare, nutrition, sanitation, privacy and protection during both emergencies and recovery.