Every monsoon, floodwaters from the Himalayan neighbour rushes down hills to the Chirang and Kokrajhar
Lucky Madhua, his wife and daughter brave strong currents of floodwaters to reach a nearby relief camp in Khungkhrajhora village 15 km away from the India-Bhutan border in Assam's Chirang district, about 250 km away from Guwahati. For 44-year-old Lucky, it seems an annual affair.
Lucky's house is half submerged in floodwater that breached his village after heavy rains in the area and neighbouring Bhutan. Every monsoon, floodwaters from the Himalayan neighbour rushes down hills to the Chirang and Kokrajhar - two prominent districts under the Bodoland Territorial Council.
In this second phase of flash floods in Assam this year, many areas of lower Assam, including the Bodoland region, are badly hit. For many, Assam floods only evokes imagery of the Brahmaputra valley but for years, villagers in Bodoland region, an equally devastating deluge comes with little government attention.
"Right from my childhood I have faced flood here almost every year. The entire village had moved to relief camp," Lucky Madhua told NDTV.
His wife narrates the challenges that over 50,000 people in Chirang and Kokrajhar face. "The kids can't go to school, diseases start to spread and we are isolated here since everything around is inundated," said Ghumjura Madhua.
At the relief camps, it's a battle to stay alive.
"My house has been washed away previously. Thrice this has happened but this time the loss is huge," said Aarti Murmu, who has lost most her belongings for the third time due to floodwaters in the last five years and is now straying in a relief camp.
The fight with floods is even more challenging for Bodoland. It is remote, livelihood opportunities are scarce and there is a lack of government attention. Four districts of Bodoland get only about 4 per cent of Assam's total budget.
"The is a double standard. They ask funds for entire Assam from the centre but when funds come, the Assam government keeps it only for Brahmaputra flood protection and does nothing in Bodoland," said Nirmal Kumar Brahma, an elected member of the Bodoland Territorial Council.