GUWAHATI: The severity of floods and erosion in Assam can be gauged from the fact that a loss of property, both public and private, of more than Rs. 17,500 crore was caused since 2017.
The floods and erosion have been a major perennial problem for Assam since the great earthquake of 1950. There has been no respite for the people of Assam from floods and erosion from that time onwards.
The huge loss of property sustained from floods and erosion has been reflected in a recent report compiled by the state government. The report covers the period from 2017 to 2024.
During this period, the state incurred a property loss of Rs 17509.31 crore. The highest loss of public and private property was recorded in 2017, when a loss of Rs 4358.81 crore was sustained.
Moreover, so far this year (2024), a loss of property worth Rs 534.44 crore from floods has been incurred. The figure for the year is likely to change given that a few months remain for the flood season to be over.
The report reveals the loss sustained on a yearly basis, with Rs 2491.59 crore loss recorded in 2018; Rs 3237.75 in 2019; Rs 2642.99 crore in 2020; Rs 1088.19 crore in 2021; Rs 3037.86 crore in 2022; and Rs 117.68 crore in 2023.
In the period from 2017 to 2023, the Assam government received an amount of Rs 4450.97 crore under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) from the Government of India.
According to the state government, the amounts received under SDRF are: Rs 456.30 crore in 2017; Rs 478.80 crore in 2018; Rs 503.10 crore in 2019; Rs 772 crore in 2020; Rs 617.60 crore in 2021; Rs 648.8 crore in 2022; and Rs 680.80 crore in 2023.
Also, the Government of India released Rs 44.37 crore in 2020 and Rs 250 crore in 2022 under NDRF.
This year, the floods in the state have claimed the lives of 110 people so far, of whom two perished in urban floods.
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