Assam Government Enhances Flood Relief Transparency with New Assessment Portal

Strengthening Flood Relief Efforts

Guwahati, Aug 17: In the wake of the severe floods that struck Upper Assam on July 19, the state administration is taking steps to enhance transparency in the relief and rehabilitation process by making flood damage assessment data accessible to the public.

During a press conference at Lok Sewa Bhawan on Monday, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the initial flood damage assessment report would be made available on a dedicated web portal. This initiative will allow affected individuals to verify if their losses have been documented.

“We will publish the first phase of the damage assessment on the ASDMA web portal, enabling everyone to check their names and confirm the registration of their losses. Naturally, we anticipate public feedback following the release of this initial list,” Sarma stated.

The Chief Minister emphasized that this level of transparency in flood relief distribution is unprecedented in the state.

“We will upload the information on the portal and present it to the media. I believe this is the first time such a transparent method of flood relief distribution has been implemented. Our goal is to ensure public satisfaction,” he remarked.

To address any grievances or omissions, the government plans to conduct a second-phase survey starting September 1 or 2, where survey teams will revisit affected households instead of requiring residents to visit government offices.

“Affected individuals will not need to go anywhere; our surveyors will return to them for a second assessment. We aim to complete this second phase by September 10 or 11,” he added.

The final damage assessment report is expected to be released by September 15 or 16. Sarma mentioned that a third assessment round might be conducted if objections arise after the final report is published.

“Our objective is to distribute aid through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) before Durga Puja, ideally by October 9 or 10, or by the end of September,” he noted.

According to the Chief Minister, 1,144 government school teachers have been assigned to assist with the rapid damage assessment process.

Currently, assessments have recorded details of 26,681 damaged homes, 18,887 cattle sheds, losses of raw materials affecting over 41,000 handlooms, and 5,98,691 livestock.

Based on the assessments conducted thus far, direct losses amounting to approximately Rs 480 crore have been documented.

However, Sarma indicated that this figure represents only about 30% of the affected population, and the total loss could surpass Rs 1,000 crore.

“Additionally, assessments for agriculture and fisheries are ongoing. In the agricultural sector, 99,256 farmers who have lost their cropland have been identified. We anticipate completing the first phase of damage assessment or survey by August 28 or 29,” the Chief Minister stated.

He also mentioned that once compensation is distributed, the state would approach Prime Minister Narendra Modi to expedite housing assistance under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) for severely impacted districts like Sivasagar and Charaideo.

Relief Fund Exceeds Rs 146 Crore

• An interim flood assistance of Rs 47.93 crore was released on Monday to 31,991 families in Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat, and Golaghat, providing Rs 15,000 per family.

• Previously, 96,842 families in these four flood-affected districts received Rs 15,000 each in interim aid.

• The state government has disbursed a total of Rs 146.26 crore as interim flood assistance.

• Approximately 3,000 families from the Sivasagar constituency are still undergoing verification.

• If deemed eligible, these families could be included in a third phase of interim assistance, potentially increasing the total beneficiaries to around one lakh families.