The Ministry of Home Affairs has reported a total of 880 casualties due to severe floods in Assam from 2019 up to July 25 this year.
In response to a question in the Rajya Sabha from MP Sushmita Dev, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai provided these figures, detailing 157 casualties in 2019, 190 in 2020, 73 in 2021, 278 in 2022, 65 in 2023, and 117 up to July 25 this year.
Rai also noted that the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have created a flood hazard zonation atlas for Assam using satellite data from 1998 to 2023, which aids in flood management and development planning.
Additionally, the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC) has developed a River Atlas for the Brahmaputra River, including details on the river’s network, embankments, and gauge locations, which is valuable for water resource management.
NESAC has also identified 271 wetlands for managing excess water during the monsoon and developed a Flood Early Warning System (FLEWS) for the Brahmaputra basin, providing alerts to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) with 24 to 36 hours’ notice.
The Central Water Commission (CWC) offers flood forecasts and inflow predictions for reservoirs using mathematical models and satellite rainfall estimates, accessible through their web portal. The CWC maintains 67 hydrological observation sites in the Barak basin and 173 in the Brahmaputra basin.
The Government of India has provided substantial funds to Assam, including Rs 503.10 crore in 2019-20, Rs 617.60 crore in 2020-21, Rs 617.60 crore in 2021-22, Rs 648.80 crore in 2022-23, and Rs 680.80 crore in 2023-24 under the SDRF. Additionally, the Government of India allocated Rs 44.37 crore from the NDRF in 2020-21, Rs 250 crore in 2022-23, and various amounts from the SDMF over recent years.
