Assam: Climate change inflicts massive losses on Kaibarta, Mising families in Golaghat, says study

Guwahati: A recent study by the Palakiya Foundation and Team Zibon has highlighted mounting economic losses and livelihood challenges faced by the Kaibarta and Mising communities in Assam’s Golaghat district due to climate change–induced disruptions.

The survey, covering 100 families in the Bhakatsapori and Rajankhat areas, found that households are losing an average of Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000 every year as a result of floods, prolonged dry spells and increasing human–wildlife conflict.

The findings are based on extensive focus group discussions conducted in Bhakatsapori, a predominantly Mising village with around 200 households, and Rajankhat, home to nearly 150 Kaibarta families largely dependent on fishing and wetland resources.

The discussions offered ground-level insights into how erratic weather patterns are undermining traditional livelihoods such as agriculture, fishing and livestock rearing, while also affecting social and cultural practices.

In Bhakatsapori, where houses are traditionally built on stilts to cope with annual flooding, agriculture remains the backbone of the local economy.

Nearly 60 per cent of household income comes from farming, primarily rice, mustard and black gram, with fishing and livestock contributing another 30 per cent. However, villagers reported a marked change in flood behaviour over the past decade. Earlier, slow-rising seasonal floods in August and September enriched the soil.

These have now been replaced by sudden and destructive surges, which residents largely attribute to upstream dam water releases, particularly from the Subansiri dam.

Such floods have damaged crops, washed away seedlings, eroded fertile topsoil and affected infrastructure, including homes and watchtowers used to monitor wildlife movement.

Crop failures, especially of black gram and mustard, have become more frequent, increasing dependence on purchased seeds and food supplies.

The situation has been worsened by a rise in post-flood elephant raids on farmlands, causing losses estimated at up to 20 per cent of the harvest this year. These combined pressures, villagers said, are pushing younger members to migrate to cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai in search of work.

In Rajankhat, the Kaibarta community relies heavily on fishing, which accounts for nearly 80 per cent of local livelihoods. Women play a crucial role in managing fishing nets, regulating water flow and processing fish.

The study found that short spells of intense rainfall followed by extended dry periods have significantly reduced water availability in ponds and the village’s shared wetland, or Beel.

Traditional flood cycles that once sustained fish breeding and wetland ecosystems have largely disappeared, while rising summer temperatures have further shrunk aquatic habitats and reduced fish catch. Community members also linked these changes to disruptions in natural water flows caused by large upstream dams.

Mahima Bansal, Director of the Palakiya Foundation, said the study underscores the need to align development projects with local environmental conditions and indigenous knowledge systems.

“The voices from Bhakatsapori and Rajankhat reflect the urgent need to harmonize infrastructure development with local environmental realities and traditional knowledge. Protecting these vulnerable riverine communities requires holistic responses to climate impacts, including adaptive livelihoods, ecological restoration and community empowerment,” she said.

Bansal added that the organisation is committed to working with government agencies, local groups and community members to design sustainable interventions that protect both natural resources and the cultural fabric of these riverine populations.

The survey also documented community-led recommendations to enhance resilience. In Bhakatsapori, residents called for public buildings such as schools and offices to be constructed on stilts in line with indigenous architecture, timely compensation for crop and livestock losses, and better coordination and advance warnings regarding dam water releases.

In Rajankhat, suggestions included strengthening community management of the Beel, setting up community-run fish seed banks and creating water retention structures to support aquatic life during dry periods.

Both communities stressed the importance of early warning systems for floods and drought-like conditions, transparent communication on upstream water management, and livelihood diversification programmes suited to local social and ecological contexts, including women-led cooperatives for weaving, handicrafts and trade.