ABSTRACT
Assam is the largest state in terms of population in the entire North-Eastern part of India, with considerable socio-cultural and ethnic diversity. The majority of the area of Assam is within the valley of the Brahmaputra, a trans-boundary river which counts among the biggest rivers in Asia. Both river valleys, Brahmaputra as well as Barak, witness devastating floods every year that not only destroy lives and valuable crops but also lead to riverbank erosion and drainage congestion.
This chapter is an attempt at exploring how climate change and, in particular, floods impact lives of women and how women claim agency towards dealing with hazards as well as havoc wreaked by floods almost on a yearly basis. It seeks to contend that while floods affect both men and women alike, women suffer more, and the challenges faced by women are hardly ever brought to the fore. In most cases, women end up either succumbing to the trials posed by the floods or working out ways and means to weather the storm.
