GUWAHATI: The devastating floods in Assam have resulted in 880 deaths from 2019 to July 25 this year, according to the ministry of home affairs (MHA).
Minister of state for home affairs, Nityanand Rai, provided these figures in response to a question posed by MP Sushmita Dev in the Rajya Sabha.
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The annual breakdown of casualties is as follows: 157 in 2019, 190 in 2020, 73 in 2021, 278 in 2022, 65 in 2023, and 117 up to July 25 this year.
Rai also highlighted efforts to manage floods issue in Assam through advanced technology.
The National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have developed a state-level flood hazard zonation atlas for Assam, using satellite data from 1998 to 2023.
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Furthermore, the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC) has generated a River Atlas for the Brahmaputra River in Assam.
This comprehensive geospatial database includes the river and drainage network, embankment locations, river gauge locations, and road and rail networks at a 1:5000 scale.
The database aids in planning and managing water resources.
NESAC has also identified 271 wetlands that can channel excess water from rivers, including the Brahmaputra, during the monsoon season.
Additionally, NESAC has developed a Flood Early Warning System (FLEWS) for the Brahmaputra basin, providing the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) with alerts 24 to 36 hours in advance.
The Assam government, in collaboration with the Water Resources Department, has been implementing flood and riverbank erosion management schemes.
As of 2023-24, these efforts have protected 16.50 lakh hectares of flood-affected land, constructed 4532 km of embankments, and completed numerous anti-erosion and town protection works, major and minor sluices, and raising and strengthening existing dykes.
Financial support from the Centre has been significant.
Between 2019 and 2024, the Centre released Rs 503.10 crore to Assam under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), with increasing amounts each year, reaching Rs 680.80 crore in 2023-24.
Additionally, funds were allocated from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) and the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) to support flood management efforts.