Assam Floods Tragedy: 880 Lives Lost in Just Four Years, Centre Reports

GUWAHATI:  The ministry of home affairs (MHA) reports that 880 people died in Assam's devastating floods between 2019 and July 25.

These figures were provided by Nityanand Rai, the minister of state for home affairs, in response to a question posed by MP Sushmita Dev in the Rajya Sabha.

The following is the annual breakdown of casualties: 157 in 2019, 190 in 2020, 73 in 2021, 278 in 2022, 65 in 2023, and 117 as of this date in 2023.

Additionally, Rai emphasized efforts to manage Assam's flood problem using cutting-edge technology.

Using satellite data from 1998 to 2023, the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) have created a state-level flood hazard zonation atlas for Assam.

Additionally, a River Atlas for the Assamese Brahmaputra River has been created by the North Eastern Space Applications Center (NESAC).

The river and drainage network, embankment locations, river gauge locations, and road and rail networks are all included in this comprehensive geospatial database at a scale of 1:5000.

Planning and managing water resources are made easier with the database.

Additionally, NESAC has identified 271 wetlands that are able to channel excess water from rivers during the monsoon, including the Brahmaputra.

Additionally, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) receives alerts 24 to 36 hours in advance thanks to the Flood Early Warning System (FLEWS) that NESAC has developed for the Brahmaputra basin.

Flood and riverbank erosion management plans have been implemented by the Assam government and the Water Resources Department.

These efforts will have completed the construction of 4532 kilometers of embankments, protected 16.50 lakh hectares of flood-affected land, completed numerous anti-erosion and town protection works, major and minor sluices, and raised and strengthened existing dykes by 2023-2024.

The Center's financial support has been significant.

Assam received Rs 503.10 crore from the Centre as part of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) between 2019 and 2024, with annual increases reaching Rs 680.80 crore in 2023 and 2024.

Additionally, the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) and the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) were provided fund to support flood management efforts.

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