Assam Farmers Struggle with Drought‑Like Conditions Amid Flood Risks

Heavy rains on the Brahmaputra’s north bank have caused flooding while large parts of Upper and Lower Assam are experiencing drought‑like conditions. The monsoon has delivered about 31% less rainfall than normal—441.3 mm compared with the expected 640.3 mm—leaving many farmers unable to transplant paddy seedlings. A farmer from Goriapathar village said, “There is no water…we cannot sow paddy, as the ground is dry,” and warned that missing the planting window could leave households without rice.

The weather crisis has also sparked security concerns. Indian officials recall the 2018 floods and warn that China’s Tianhe (Sky River) weather‑modification program, which aims to manipulate atmospheric moisture across the Tibetan Plateau, could become a tool of geopolitical pressure. Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam’s chief minister, has urged close monitoring of both the climate impacts on agriculture and the potential strategic implications of large‑scale atmospheric engineering.