Of a network of 423 embankments along the Brahmaputra and its numerous tributaries in Assam, as many as 295 embankments have crossed their ‘expiry date’ and have lost their efficacy. No surprise then that the state has been reeling under floods since July.

According to official records, the third wave of floods that began on August 29 has directly affected over 10 lakh people, while the number of human lives lost has been put at 10.

And even as the 295 ‘worn out’ embankments, which completed their efficacy period of 25 years long ago, keep undergoing various kind of patchworks to keep the floodwaters from causing further havoc, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, only this week, suspended 12 engineers associated with alleged faulty construction of a vital embankment at Matmora in Dhemaji district.

Last month, the Brahmaputra washed away most portions of the Matmora embankment, which was constructed only last year. According to a statement made by state Water Resource Minister Bharat Chandra Narah (who incidentally was removed from this ministry on Tuesday) in the state Assembly in July, 30 out of the 38 embankments under the Dibrugarh water resource division have already crossed their expiry dates, while eight out of 12 such structures have surpassed their period of effectiveness in the worst-affected Majuli island.

The result is for everyone to see. Majuli — the island that is seeking a World Heritage tag — has been shrinking, with its area coming down from 1,250 sq km to just about 450 sq km over a period of about 50 years.