India, Jan. 8 -- The Jiadhal flooded, not once or twice, but several times in 2020. Flood plains were damaged, houses washed away.A solution, however,seems afar

A blockade near Jiadhal Chariali in Assam's Dhemaji district January 7, 2021 was a testament to its inhabitants' fury, and by extension, of the nature. Thousands descended on the National Highway 15 to protest against the state government's alleged tardiness to construct embankements along the Jiadhal river - a tributary of the Brahmaputra - that has flooded repeatedly in 2020.

Most villages in the district exist along the river. When it overflowed, flood plains were damaged and houses washed away. Huge swathes of sand deposited on croplands. The cattle died.

The river traverse...