Traditional knowledge

— Age-old wisdom and traditional knowledge, many a time, have displayed an edge over modern scientific technologies. There are instances galore where the simple techniques perfected by the different indigenous communities have come handy in tackling the vagaries of nature. Floods have become the State’s bane and the authorities have failed miserably in combating it. Though the idea came very late in the day, the Majuli subdivisional administration has finally decided to implement an innovative method to cope with recurring floods. The authorities have realized the futility of modern science in tackling the floods and have decided to fall back on traditional wisdom. The subdivisional administration has resolved to ensure that every new government building is constructed on raised concrete platforms. This concept has been inspired from the traditional wisdom perfected by the local Mising community which has learnt to live with floods. The Mising community erects their dwelling houses on bamboo stilts to escape from the fury of floods and water logging. The granaries too are constructed in a similar manner to protect the harvest from floods. With the traditional knowledge of the Mising community providing the answer, the administration is planning to make such constructions mandatory in Majuli.

The utility of this method of construction became evident this year itself. The six buildings of the Kamalabari Tourism Complex constructed on raised pillars have been used as relief camps to house the flood-hit victims. This system of construction can also be effectively used in other parts of the State which are ravaged by floods. Flash floods and prolonged water logging have made life miserable in several parts of Guwahati. Water logging after a smart shower has made the ground floors in several localities of the city almost unlivable, while for the residents of the Assam type houses the woes of water logging is getting compounded with every passing year. This problem has in turn resulted in a virtual war of raising the plinth heights among the new constructions causing inconvenience to the existing householders. If the technique used by the Mising community for long is implemented in the water logging prone areas of Guwahati, it will definitely help the people to at least cope with the problem for which no effective solution is there in sight. source: assam tribune