Land-use options for the flood plains of the northeastern region of India

Large flood plains are a characteristic feature of the northeastern region of India and combined, have an area of 54 015 km(2). There are three prominent flood plain valleys in the region: the Brahmaputra, Barak and Manipur. These flood plains contain a multitude of morphological features including; depressions, swamps and temporary water storages that are subject to regular inundation. The total flood-prone area is 35 860 km(2) with an average area experiencing annual inundation of approximately 3761 km(2). The intensity of flooding results in crop and property damage along with the loss of human and animal life. However, floods also result in an increase in the nutrient status of the flood plain soils and temporary water storage areas. This has a significant influence on the productivity of crops in the region. In this study, changes in the nutrient content of flood plain soils and the temporary water storages are reported. Annual floods deposit 88.3 Mt of soil along with 10.61, 0.37 and 6.05 thousand tonnes of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium respectively on these flood plains. Suitable cropping patterns are required for these flood plains in order to benefit from this addition of natural resources thereby improving food security.