880 Casualties Reported from Assam Floods Over Four Years, Government Confirms

The Ministry of Home Affairs reported 880 flood-related casualties in Assam from 2019 to July 25, 2023. The government has implemented various non-structural measures and funded flood management schemes to mitigate the impact. Financial assistance has been provided through SDRF, NDRF, and SDMF over the past years.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, 880 casualties have been reported in Assam due to devastating floods from 2019 to July 25, 2023. Responding to MP Sushmita Dev in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai provided these figures, sourced from the State Government of Assam.

Rai detailed the annual casualty breakdown: 157 in 2019, 190 in 2020, 73 in 2021, 278 in 2022, and 65 in 2023, with an additional 117 reported by July 25 this year. He highlighted efforts by the National Remote Sensing Centre and the Indian Space Research Organisation, which developed a flood hazard zonation atlas based on satellite data covering 1998-2023.

The North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC) also created a River Atlas and identified wetlands for redirecting excess monsoon water. NESAC's Flood Early Warning System provides 24-36 hour lead alerts to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority. The Central Water Commission issues flood forecasts and inflow forecasts for reservoirs, utilizing advanced models and meteorological data from the India Meteorological Department.

The Assam government, informed by the MoS, has adopted flood and riverbank erosion management schemes per Rashtriya Barh Ayog recommendations. Significant flood management achievements include protecting 16.50 lakh hectares of land and constructing thousands of kilometers of embankments and anti-erosion works.

From 2019-24, the Centre released significant funds to Assam: Rs 503.10 crore to SDRF in 2019-20, escalating to Rs 680.80 crore in 2023-24. Additional disbursements included Rs 44.37 crore from NDRF in 2020-21 and Rs 250 crore in 2022-23, along with substantial allocations to the State Disaster Mitigation Fund.

(With inputs from agencies.)