New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday said it has released Rs 342.63 crore to Assam over the past five years for flood management and anti-erosion works, while outlining a multi-pronged strategy combining infrastructure development, riverbank protection and wetland restoration to improve the state’s resilience against recurring floods.
The update comes as Assam recovers from another devastating flood season that has affected more than 1.35 lakh people, highlighting growing concerns over the long-term impact of climate change, riverbank erosion and changing rainfall patterns across the Brahmaputra basin.
Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha by Congress MP Md. Rakibul Hussain, Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Sukanta Majumdar said the Union government would continue to support state-led flood mitigation efforts through financial assistance, technical support and ecosystem-based interventions.
“The Union Government is implementing the centrally sponsored Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP) for providing assistance to states, including those in the North Eastern Region, for works related to flood control, anti-erosion, drainage development and anti-sea erosion,” the minister said in a written reply.
Under the Ministry of Jal Shakti’s Flood Management and Border Areas Programme, Assam has received Rs 342.63 crore over the last five years for projects aimed at strengthening embankments, protecting vulnerable riverbanks and improving flood resilience.
Majumdar said the Rs 207-crore project to protect Majuli from erosion by the Brahmaputra has been completed. The project is expected to provide long-term protection to the world’s largest inhabited river island, where decades of erosion have threatened settlements, agricultural land and its unique cultural heritage.
The Centre is also expanding nature-based solutions to mitigate flood risks.
Majumdar said the Ministry of Home Affairs has initiated a large-scale wetland rejuvenation programme covering nearly 5,900 sq km of wetlands identified by the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC), along with another 3,500 sq km mapped by the Assam Remote Sensing Application Centre.
The restored wetlands are expected to improve natural water retention and help moderate flood peaks during periods of heavy rainfall.
In addition, the North Eastern Council has sanctioned six anti-erosion projects in Dhemaji, Kokrajhar and Baksa districts at a combined cost of Rs 33.40 crore, targeting some of the state’s most erosion-prone river stretches.
The Centre said the strategy marks a shift from responding to annual floods towards building long-term resilience through a combination of engineered infrastructure, river management, wetland restoration and improved disaster preparedness.
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