Assam Floods: A Grim Toll and Government Response
Impact of Floods in Assam
Rising water levels and inundation causing havoc in Dhemaji (Photo: @himantabiswa/X)
Guwahati, July 11: Since 2016, Assam has witnessed a tragic loss of 836 lives due to floods, with natural calamities affecting approximately 57.57 lakh bighas of farmland.
In response to an unstarred inquiry from MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed during the Assam legislative assembly session on Friday, Keshab Mahanta, the Revenue and Disaster Management Minister, reported that the fatalities included 93 from landslides, 175 from storms, and 372 due to lightning strikes.
According to the Minister, data from District Commissioners indicate that natural disasters, particularly floods, have devastated around 57,56,700 bighas of agricultural land in the state since 2016.
Additionally, he noted that river erosion has claimed nearly 2,31,100 bighas of land during the same timeframe.
Regarding financial aid, Mahanta mentioned that the Union government has allocated Rs 3,793.60 crore through the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and Rs 948.40 crore via the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF), as per the 15th Finance Commission's recommendations.
Furthermore, Assam has received Rs 1,207.27 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF-PDNA) for the floods in 2022, Rs 692.05 crore from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) for the restoration of water bodies, and Rs 200 crore aimed at urban flood mitigation in Guwahati.
Mahanta also informed the Assembly that the Centre has sanctioned Rs 344.22 crore in response to flood memorandums submitted by the Assam government since 2016.
On the topic of eviction drives, he stated that anti-encroachment measures have been implemented across 24 districts since 2016.
He clarified that the removal of encroachments on government land is conducted under the Assam Land Policy and land revenue laws, which do not allow for compensation or rehabilitation for individuals evicted from illegally occupied government properties.
Additionally, the Minister mentioned that Assam currently comprises 29 Tribal Belts and Blocks, excluding those within the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).
Details regarding the total area and encroachments in each district have been provided in the annexures, and legal actions are being taken systematically to address encroachments in these protected regions.