Assam is one of the states in India which are adversely affected by excessive floods. According to the officials, Assam’s flood crisis worsened this year due to the rising water levels of the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers, which have submerged new parts of the state and affected more than 55 lakh people across 32 districts.
Assam floods and the yearly budget allocation
The state’s budgeted allotment for flood prevention, which has decreased since the fiscal year 2019–20, does not, however, reflect the issue. In its budget for the 2019–20 fiscal year, the eastern state allocated Rs 3,748 crore for flood management and agriculture. As per the budget documents, this was decreased to Rs 2,825 crore for 2020–21, Rs 2,452 for 2021–22, and Rs 2,778 for 2022–23.
The damage that Assam observes every year
A large number of people get affected badly due to the harsh flood situation in Assam. The water resources department of the Government of Assam reports that the average number of persons impacted by floods each year has consistently increased in the state.
If we give a closer look at the data then we can note that from the years 1970-1979 on an average two million people were affected, the number climbed to 4.5 million people in the years 1988-2005, and currently onwards more than six million people affected every year on an average.
As per the government’s official announcement on June 20, 2022, 329,759 individuals were relocated to relief camps in the past two months, and 1,99,438 hectares of cropland overall were devastated.
Funds for disaster management
The question that arises is how much of this is taken into account and what solutions have come up. According to Ravindranath, the founder of Rural Volunteers Centre, a grassroots organization in North East India, and a former Ashoka fellow, voters in Assam frequently have grievances over disaster-related payments. He has been working for years to improve Assam’s flood-affected districts. The state-allocated money and budget however do offer financial support for long-term climate adaptation projects. For example, for the years 2020-21, the allocated money was Rs 649 crore. Meanwhile the Assam state Disaster Management also received a grant for the same, and in accordance with immediate, short-term, and long-term needs, the National Policy of Floods also provides funds.
Looking forward
According to Ravindranath, human activity such as mining may determine whether or not these floods turn into an annual occurrence. He noted that sedimentary rock structures may accumulate on the riverbank and raise the water level.
Floods have become an every-year phenomenon for the people of Assam causing difficulties and deaths but with time changes are being made but still, it’s a quite alarming situation that should not be under looked by calling it natural but rather a prominent and proper solution is what the people in Assam need right now.