University Students’ Perception, Knowledge, and Preparedness of Flood Disaster Risk Management in Assam (India)

Authors

  • Pritisha Barik Centre for Multidisciplinary Research, Tezpur University, India
  • Anjan Bhuyan Department of Business Administration, Tezpur University, India
  • Sanayanbi Hodam North Eastern Regional Institute of Water and Land Management, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18485/ijdrm.2025.7.1.24

Keywords:

University students, perception, knowledge, preparedness, flood management, Assam

Abstract

Assam is a state in India that is highly vulnerable to floods. This study aims to evaluate flood disaster risk perception, knowledge, and preparedness among university students in Assam. A quantitative survey was conducted through an online questionnaire. A total of 50 samples (25 PhD, 25 postgraduate) were collected. Participants were asked about their perceptions of flood risk, knowledge, and preparedness regarding flood disaster risk management. By using the structured questionnaire and Pearson's Chi-Square test to determine the statistical significance of differences between the university students. The finding shows that 96% admit that riverine communities are vulnerable to floods. Although 78% of households need emergency plans, only 4% practice evacuation drills. Eighty-four per cent of PhD students exhibit a higher risk perception of interruption in essential services during a flood. Overall, 62% were aware of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA). At most, 28% understood district-level flood management systems. Awareness of ASDMA notably correlated with trust in timely warnings (52% aware and 48% unaware). Despite 86% of respondents monitoring weather alerts, 82% were unaware of community warning signals, and 56% had an unavailability of emergency contacts. The study highlights an analytical gap between theoretical awareness and practical preparedness among university students in Assam. The findings emphasise the need to integrate disaster drills into academic curricula, strengthen community-institutional partnerships, and develop localised educational tools to bridge this gap. These strategies are necessary for enhancing resilience in flood-prone regions of Assam, establishing knowledge, and promoting actionable preparedness.

References

1. Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T

2. Árvai, J. (2014). The end of risk communication as we know it. Journal of Risk Research, 17(10), 1245–1249. doi:10.1080/13669877.2014.919519

3. Bezboruah, K., Sattler, M., & Bhatt, A. (2021). Flooded Cities: A Comparative Analysis of Flood Management Policies in Indian States. International Journal of Water Governance. doi:10.59490/ijwg.8.2021.5782

4. Bhattachaiyya, N. N., & Bora, A. K. (1997). Floods of the Brahmaputra River in India. Water International, 22(4), 222–229. doi:10.1080/02508069708686709

5. Botzen, W. J. W., Aerts, J. C. J. H., & van den Bergh, J. C. J. M. (2009). Dependence of flood risk perceptions on socioeconomic and objective risk factors. Water Resources Research, 45(10). doi:10.1029/2009wr007743

6. Citizen Corps National Survey. (2006). Citizen Corps Personal Behavior Change Model for Disaster Preparedness; A Review of Citizen Preparedness Research; Community Preparedness Division, FEMA: Washington, DC, USA, 4, 1–13.

7. Cvetkovic, V. (2016). The relationship between educational level and citizen preparedness to respond to natural disasters. Journal of the Geographical Institute Jovan Cvijic SASA, 66(2), 237–253. https://doi.org/10.2298/ijgi1602237c

8. Cvetković, V. M., & Janković, B. (2020). Private Security Preparedness for Disasters Caused by Natural and Anthropogenic Hazards. International Journal of Disaster Risk Management, 2(1), 23–33. https://doi.org/10.18485/ijdrm.2020.2.1.3

9. Cvetković, V., Dragićević, S., Petrović, M., Mijalković, S., Jakovljević, V., & Gačić, J. (2015). Knowledge and Perception of Secondary School Students in Belgrade about Earthquakes as Natural Disasters. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 24, 1553–1561. https://doi.org/10.15244/pjoes/39702

10. Cvetković, V., Roder, G., Öcal, A., Tarolli, P., & Dragićević, S. (2018). The Role of Gender in Preparedness and Response Behaviors towards Flood Risk in Serbia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(12), 2761. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15122761

11. Dela Cruz, R. D., & Galanto Ormilla, R. C. (2022). Disaster Risk Reduction Management Implementation in the Public Elementary Schools of the Department of Education, Philippines. International Journal of Disaster Risk Management, 4(2), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.18485/ijdrm.2022.4.2.1

12. Dhar, O. N., & Nandargi, S. (2003). Hydrometeorological Aspects of Floods in India. Springer EBooks, 1–33. doi:10.1007/978-94-017-0137-2_1

13. Directorate of Higher Education, Assam. (2016). Assam.gov.in. https://directorateofhighereducation.assam.gov.in

14. Dufty, N., & Webber, D. J. (2008). Being Prepared - Community Flood Education Planning in NSW. 8.

15. Government of Assam, India. (2022). Water Resources. https://waterresources.assam.gov.in/

16. Johnson, B. B. (1993). Advancing Understanding of Knowledge’s Role in Lay Risk Perception. Risk 4:189 212.

17. Lechowska, E. (2018). What determines flood risk perception? A review of factors of flood risk perception and relations between its basic elements. Natural Hazards, 94(3), 1341–1366. doi:10.1007/s11069-018-3480-z

18. Lechowska, E. (2021). Approaches in research on flood risk perception and their importance in flood risk management: a review. Natural Hazards, 111. doi:10.1007/s11069-021-05140-7

19. Lin, S., & Opdyke, A. (2024). University student flood risk perceptions and flood probability knowledge in Greater Sydney. Natural Hazards, 120, 13851–13873. doi:10.1007/s11069-024-06757-0

20. Marčeta, Ž., & Jurisic, D. (2024). Psychological Preparedness of the Rescuers and Volunteers: A Case Study of 2023 Türkiye Earthquake. International Journal of Disaster Risk Management, 6(1), 27–40. doi:10.18485/ijdrm.2024.6.1.3

21. Ministry of Education India. (2024). Ministry of Education All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2021-2022. Pib.gov.in.

22. Mohanty, M. P., Mudgil, S., & Karmakar, S. (2020). Flood management in India: A focused review on the current status and future challenges. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 49, 101660. doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.101660

23. Morris, B. (2003). The components of the Wired Spanning Forest are recurrent. Probability Theory and Related Fields, 125(2), 259–265. doi:10.1007/s00440-002-0236-0

24. National Remote Sensing Centre. (2016). Flood Hazard Atlas for Assam State (1998- 2015), Assam State Disaster Management Authority. Asdma.gov.in. https://asdma.gov.in/flood_hazard.html

25. Perić, J., & Cvetković , V. M. (2019). Demographic, Socio-Economic and Psychological Perspective of Risk Perception from Disasters Caused by Floods: Case Study Belgrade. International Journal of Disaster Risk Management, 1(2), 31–43. doi: 10.18485/ijdrm.2019.1.2.3

26. Ponstingel, D., Lopez, C. W., & Earl, R. A. (2019). Flood awareness among college students in flash flood alley: a case study of Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, USA. Papers in Applied Geography, 5(3-4), 236–255. doi:10.1080/23754931.2019.1694966

27. Rico, G. C. S. (2019). School-Community Collaboration: Disaster Preparedness Towards Building Resilient Communities. International Journal of Disaster Risk Management, 1(2), 45–59. doi:10.18485/ijdrm.2019.1.2.4

28. Rufat, S., Tate, E., Burton, C. G., & Maroof, A. S. (2015). Social vulnerability to floods: Review of case studies and implications for measurement. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 14(4), 470–486. doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2015.09.013

29. Shah, A. A., Gong, Z., Ali, M., Sun, R., Naqvi, S. A. A., & Arif, M. (2020). Looking through the Lens of schools: Children perception, knowledge, and preparedness of flood disaster risk management in Pakistan. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 50, 101907. doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.101907

30. Slovic, P., Flynn, J. H., & Layman, M. (1991). Perceived Risk, Trust, and the Politics of Nuclear Waste. Science, 254(5038), 1603–1607. JSTOR. https://doi.org/10.2307/2879488

31. Slovic, P., & Weber, Elke. U. (2002). Perception of risk posed by extreme events. Science. The Conference on Risk Management Strategies in an Uncertain World, 1–21.

32. The World Bank. (2025). Data Bank, The World Bank. Worldbank.org. https://databank.worldbank.org/

33. UNDRR. (2020). Engaging Children and Youth in Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience Building, UNDRR. https://www.undrr.org/words-into-action/engaging-children-and-youth-disaster-risk-reduction-and-resilience-building

34. United Nations. (1981). International Youth Year: Participation, Development, Peace. United Nations Digital Library System; UN, https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/27015?ln=en

35. Wachinger, G., Renn, O., Begg, C., & Kuhlicke, C. (2012). The Risk Perception Paradox-Implications for Governance and Communication of Natural Hazards. Risk Analysis, 33(6), 1049–1065. doi:10.1111/j.1539-6924.2012.01942.x

36. Wang, Z., Wang, H., Huang, J., Kang, J., & Han, D. (2018). Analysis of the Public Flood Risk Perception in a Flood-Prone City: The Case of Jingdezhen City in China. Water, 10(11), 1577. doi:10.3390/w10111577

37. Zhong, S., Cheng, Q., Zhang, S., Huang, C., & Wang, Z. (2021). An impact assessment of disaster education on children’s flood risk perceptions in China: Policy implications for adaptation to climate extremes. Science of the Total Environment, 757, 143761. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143761

International Journal of Disaster Risk Management (IJDRM)

Downloads

Published

2025-06-16

How to Cite

Barik, P., Bhuyan, A., & Hodam, S. (2025). University Students’ Perception, Knowledge, and Preparedness of Flood Disaster Risk Management in Assam (India). International Journal of Disaster Risk Management, 7(1), 417–430. https://doi.org/10.18485/ijdrm.2025.7.1.24

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 1 (2025): International Journal of Disaster Risk Management (IJDRM)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 International Journal of Disaster Risk Management

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

This journal operates under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction, adaptation, and transformation in any medium, provided the original author and source are properly credited.

Authors retain the copyright of their articles.

The International Journal of Disaster Risk Management (IJDRM) encourages and permits authors to:

  • Post pre-print (submitted version), post-print (accepted version), and publisher’s version/PDF of their articles on personal websites, institutional repositories, disciplinary repositories, and academic networks such as ResearchGate, Academia.edu, or departmental websites,

  • Do so at any time, including before or after publication,

  • Provided that appropriate credit is given to the original publication in this journal, including:

    • Full bibliographic details

    • A clear mention of the journal name

    • A direct link to the article’s DOI (as an HTML link)

No prior permission is required from the publisher or editors for such actions, as long as the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license are followed.

Similar Articles

<< < 5 6 7 8 9 10 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.