Guwahati, Aug. 12 -- Nazira and Charaideo in upper Assam are once again facing the devastating consequences of a major flood. Homes have been damaged, agricultural land submerged, livestock lost and livelihoods disrupted. For many families, years of savings and hard-earned possessions have disappeared within days.

The scale of the crisis is grave. As of August 10, 100 people had died in Assam's floods, more than 700,000 people had been displaced and around 49,000 remained in relief camps.

The Assam government has pointed to exceptionally heavy rainfall. There is no question that the rainfall was extreme. But Assam is a flood-prone state, and extreme weather cannot be treated as an entirely unforeseeable event. The real question is not w...