Preparedness is the key to flood resilience in Assam

Rescue and relief operations are the top priorities when Assam continues to grapple with multiple waves of annual floods. Rehabilitation of flood-hit people and restoration of infrastructure damaged in floods after the water level recedes are more challenging. Post-flood restoration is critical to building resilience against the annual disaster. Apart from the availability of funds, the timely release of adequate funds is crucial for disaster restoration. A clear picture of the damage to household properties emerges only after 15 days of receding water levels when Circle Officers submit the proposal for assistance for house and property damage to the District Disaster Management Authority for sanction of rehabilitation grants to affected households. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s assurance to provide all rehabilitation grants by August 15 is reassuring for affected households. As the compensation amount is limited, the worries of rebuilding life do not end with the release of rehabilitation grants for flood-hit families. Often, the damage to houses and properties is much higher than the amount fixed for compensation for the loss. Given the rising cost of building materials, the clamour for an upward revision of the grant amount is legitimate, but resource- constraints not allowing the government much elbow room is a hard reality. The majority of flood-affected households also suffer crop losses, which affect household income and savings. Besides, floodwaters also deposit thick layers of silt on farm fields, rendering them unfit for growing the same major crop. Expeditious desilting of farm fields is crucial for farm families to resume agricultural production. The poor and marginalised farmers do not have money for desilting their paddy fields or other croplands, which leads to further erosion of their household savings. When they are unable to till their land and grow crops, their vulnerability for the next flood season only increases. Farmers managing to reap a good crop and getting a remunerative market price are essential to raising their depleted savings. Part of the income from agriculture and allied activities will go to complete the reconstruction of the damaged house that was initiated with the rehabilitation grant provided by the government but fell short. The affected farmer or house owner is required to build a stronger house to withstand floods in the next season and needs more money than the damage estimates. Strengthening paddy procurement at the Minimum Support Price announced by the government, the distribution of high-yielding seeds, and the and the support of livestock rearing and ensuring market linkage can ensure that flood-hit farmers are able to augment household income, be better prepared to sustain waves of flood without financial worries, and quickly resume agricultural and other production activities as soon as flood water recedes. Under the revised framework of the National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF) and the State Disaster Risk Management Fund (SDRMF), 80% of the funds are earmarked for disaster response and 20% for disaster mitigation. Of the total amount of disaster response funds from NDRMF and SDRMF, 40% is earmarked for relief and response, 30% for recovery and reconstruction for rebuilding assets and livelihoods, and 10% for preparedness through capacity building of disaster management authorities. Flood-hit people alleging delay in distribution or relief and rescue operations in the state despite the largest share of disaster response funds earmarked for the two speak volumes about the lack of preparedness on the part of local and district disaster management authorities. A comprehensive review of flood preparedness at the state level well ahead of the onset of the monsoon season can detect such gaps and initiate steps for rectification. Such gaps also imply that fund availability is not the issue here, and what lacks is alertness or lack of capacity to implement the disaster management plan that was prepared and updated. The capacity of district disaster management authorities for timely utilisation of disaster funds determines overall fund utilisation by the state. The capacity building of the districts in disaster response and mitigation plays, therefore, the most important role in deciding how much funding a state is entitled to get from the central government for disaster risk management. This also explains the mismatch between the scale and magnitude of flood damage in Assam and the quantum of funds available for disaster management. Without improvements in fund utilisation, the gap between the estimates of flood damage projected by the state and the amount finally released by the central government will continue to widen. Reducing disaster risk by strengthening flood embankments can protect a larger section of people living in flood-prone areas. This will bring down the requirement of funds required for relief and response during the flood period, and the amount saved can be spent on raising the rehabilitation grants and for other disaster-restoration work such as the reconstruction of damaged schools, colleges, public buildings, roads, bridges, and other assets. Better preparedness for floods will surely help the state and flood-hit people build stronger resilience against the annual disaster.