Wellbeing in the aftermath of floods: Findings from a qualitative study in Bongaigaon District of Assam, India

Abstract

The study presents key findings on the outcomes of psychological wellbeing in the aftermath of a flood as well as the interplay of social, institutional, and environmental processes that influence psychological wellbeing. Eight focused group discussions and 15 key informant interviews were conducted in five villages in the Bongaigaon District of Assam six months after the devastating floods occurred in August 2021. Four themes are identified that concern the presence or absence of institutions and agencies, social capital, secondary stressors, and the availability of resources. Participants bemoan the institutional inability to support a reliable early warning system and strong structural measures to protect them from flooding. The majorities of residents in the study area make a livelihood out of subsistence farming and have limited resources. Shared helplessness and the inability to mobilise assistance have led to the development of camaraderie. When it comes to sharing insurance information, the displaced people report the envious nature of the community, where members seek the best for themselves before anyone else. The limited resources restrict the scope of the profit accrued from social networks. Relocation to substandard shelters, concern for children's academic impairment, the potential loss of community properties and the burden of repairing them, and visitors coming to see their predicament are the secondary stressors that impair psychological wellbeing. It is also reported that those who were able to migrate have already left; for those remaining in the temporary shelters, migration is too costly an option, and they are seeking institutional intervention.