Guwahati: Every year, Assam braces itself for nature’s fury. Floods engulf villages, cyclonic winds tear through towns, and earthquakes shake the land. In this volatile environment, the state’s telecommunications infrastructure—its lifeline in emergencies—is hanging by a thread. A staggering 18,388 telecom towers across Assam are at risk, exposed to the nation’s most extreme disaster threats.
This was revealed in a report on the Disaster Risk and Resilience Assessment Framework prepared by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in collaboration with the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). The report, released today, marks a major step toward strengthening India’s telecom sector against disasters. The CDRI, an international organization launched by the Prime Minister of India, is a global partnership of 49 members dedicated to climate and disaster-resilient infrastructure solutions.
The report is part of a comprehensive study on National and Sub-national Disaster Risk & Resilience Assessment for the Telecommunication Sector by CDRI. The study was conducted across five states—Assam, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, and Gujarat—focusing on disaster risks and resilience strategies specific to the telecom sector.
The DoT facilitated coordination with State Governments, Telecom Service Providers, and Infrastructure Providers to arrange the data required for the study.
“The communications sector not only provides a technological foundation for communications but also plays a pivotal role during a disaster event by ensuring the timely relay of critical information. Hence, enhancing the disaster resilience of the sector is crucial before, during, and after disaster events,” the report states.
According to the report, Assam’s telecom sector is one of the most vulnerable in India. Every tower in the state sits in Earthquake Zone V, the highest seismic risk category. The dangers don’t stop there.
Eighty-three percent of Assam’s telecom towers (15,352) are in very high cyclonic wind zones, making them prone to damage from fierce storms. Forty-three percent of towers (7,865) face severe flood risks, particularly in Nagaon, Barpeta, Lakhimpur, and Tinsukia.
Additionally, 1,032 towers are at risk of landslides, mainly in Kamrup Metro and Dima Hasao. These vulnerabilities mean that when disaster strikes, communication failures cripple emergency response efforts, leaving millions stranded without information or help.
During the 2024 Assam floods, 646 out of 60,948 Base Transceiver Stations were non-operational. The recent floods in Lakhimpur and Dibrugarh highlighted the urgency of Assam’s telecom crisis, with entire regions cut off from mobile and internet services for days, delaying relief operations. I
n Nowboicha Tehsil, where floodwaters submerged a key BSNL transmission site, families couldn’t reach emergency responders. Similarly, cyclonic storms in Cachar and Nagaon routinely disrupt connectivity, leaving telecom operators scrambling to repair damaged towers amid the wreckage. In hilly regions like Dima Hasao, landslides snap fiber-optic cables, cutting off access to online services essential for education, banking, and healthcare.
Recognizing the urgent need for resilience, Assam has taken steps to strengthen its telecommunications network. The Disaster Reporting and Information Management System (DRIMS) now allows real-time reporting of telecom damages to speed up recovery efforts. Emergency Operating Centers (EOCs) across districts have been equipped with satellite phones, VHF, and HF radios as backup communication lines.
A cell broadcast-based public alert system is helping warn residents of approaching storms and floods. However, experts warn that these efforts alone are not enough.
Disaster experts and telecom operators are calling for urgent interventions to prevent large-scale communication blackouts in future disasters.
Key recommendations from the report include elevating generator sites and waterproofing cable connections to withstand floods, deploying High Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS) such as solar-powered drones to maintain connectivity when ground networks fail, fast-tracking Right of Way (RoW) permissions to ensure rapid repair and restoration of damaged telecom assets, and mapping optical fiber networks while reinforcing vulnerable transmission sites in high-risk zones.
In a state where millions depend on mobile connectivity for basic services, building a disaster-proof telecom network is not just an infrastructure challenge—it is a matter of survival.
Also Read: Tripura politics: Rift widens between Congress, Left after uneasy alliance