Local responses to too much and too little water in the greater Himalayan region
Factors Affecting Adaptation
Social cohesion, amicable relationships, and, with
the Mishing community, strong bonds of clanship
A wide range of factors – social, governance,
motivate people to help each other during floods and
infrastructure, and environmental – enable or disable
distress. Those who have boats lend them to others
adaptation to the growing variability of water-induced
in need; people provide shelter to those displaced.
hazards in Assam.
They accommodate and help each other while sharing
shelters by the roadside or on an embankment, and lend
Social factors
money to those in need with nominal interest. This sense
of community amidst disaster helps people survive better
Traditional knowledge base, skills, and capacities – The
in times of need.
communities have a long history of living along the river
and cultural linkages with water. This has equipped
Women’s self-help groups – Several self-help groups
them with survival skills and the mental conditioning to
were functioning prior to 2007. They started early in the
be ready to start over after every disaster. Skills, such as
decade and flourished with diverse income generating
swimming, and boat and raft making, have helped these
activities until the major floods of 2008 and 2009
communities to survive every flood or other water-related
affected their enterprise activities. Many of the SHGs
hazard that has come their way.
continue to offer micro and small lending activities that
have provided cash for households and communities
Experience has endowed the communities with the
during floods and hard times.
indigenous wisdom to observe changes in the weather
that foretell the coming of rains and floods. There are
are also folk beliefs regarding traditional medicine
Governance factors
and healing, local skills and raw materials for housing
Government policy and programmes – The construction
construction, pig farming, wine-making, and food
of roads under the National Rural Employment
storage. Modern acquired knowledge has enriched
Guarantee Act programme and the ongoing construction
some traditional practices.
of a new embankment to plug the breaches in the old
Matmora embankment have benefited people in times
Cultural norms, taboos – However, cultural perceptions
of flood. However, these programmes are not available
can also hinder adaptation by these communities.
to everyone and government policies and programmes
Non-Mishing communities are reluctant to adopt the
leave much to be desired, especially in terms of
stilt house for dwellings and the traditional societies
empowering the communities in a sustainable way and
have reservations about income generating activities
building their capacities to cope with disaster through
like fishing. For many years, these perceptions have
training.
hindered their capacity to adapt. These norms are not
rigid, but it takes time to change people’s behaviours
The lack of proper policies and programmes has
and mindsets.
hindered adaptation in these areas. The programmes
could provide for the construction and maintenance
Support role of local institutions and social networks
of embankments, flood insurance, flood plain zoning,
– Local institutions are serving as a stabilising factor in
this turbulent environment and helping the communities
to adjust to the stresses of floods and other water
Traditionally, Assamese women weave their own clothes. Some are now
selling their products as a result of the impacts of floods.
hazards. The Namghar, community prayer house fulfils
the religious and spiritual needs of the Assamese caste
groups of Majgaon and Bahpora. It guides people’s
behaviour through a set of norms for social harmony.
Amongst the Mishing community, the kebang (union
of villagers) and the murang ghar (community hall)
are local institutions that provide platforms to keep
community social networks alive and strengthen personal
relationships among community members. They are a
forum for open discussion, collective decision-making,
and settling problems and conflicts.
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