Besides melting snow, heavy rainfall and opened dams in hilly states, one of main reasons behind floods in Assam is the increasing amount of silt carried down into the lower Assam by the Brahmaputra. However, despite expert recommendation that silt deposited in winter in upper Assam be carried off for construction and other purposes, there have been several instances when unnecessary bureaucratic wrangling stalled sand-cutting on the river banks. As a result, a huge quantity of silt get washed downstream every year with terrible results.