Role of Natural and Anthropogenic Factors in Causing Frequent Floods in Assam, India: A Scoping Review

Document Type : Review article

Authors
Joshitha Sankam 1
Arathi P Rao 2
Kumar Sumit 3
Rajnarayan Ramshankar Tiwari 4
1 Department of Public Health, Prasanna School of Public Health, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India
2 Department of Health Policy, Manipal Health Literacy Unit, Prasanna School of Public Health, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India
3 Department of Health Policy, Prasanna School of Public Health, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India
4 Department of Environmental Health and Epidemiology, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Environmental Health, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
10.4103/ijehe.ijehe_58_22
Abstract
Assam is a state in Northeast India facing floods every year which leads to human misery and devastation of nature. The objective of this review is to explore the natural and anthropogenic factors causing flood in Assam over a period of 11 years. The SCOPUS, Science Direct, and Web of Science databases were searched to identify relevant studies in Assam. The outcome of interest was to identify the natural and anthropogenic factors that contributed to the occurrence of floods in Assam from 2010 to 2020. Data were charted and reported in accordance with the “PRISMA guidelines.” From 1582 screened citations, 54 articles went under full-text screening, among which 35 studies were eligible for this review. Rainfall events, climate change, urbanization, deforestation, improper drainage and embankment construction contributed most. This review concludes that anthropogenic factors outweigh the natural factors for flood occurrence in Assam.

Keywords

International Journal of Environmental Health Engineering (IJEHE)
Volume 2023, August
2023
Pages 1-7

  • Receive Date 30 April 2025