Parliament Question: Impact of Repeated Flood Disasters in Assam

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 833 ANSWERED ON 04.12.2025 IMPACT OF REPEATED FLOOD DISASTERS IN ASSAM 833. SHRI SUDAMA PRASAD: Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has taken note of the repeated flood disasters in Assam impacting over 2.45 million people and breaching over five hundred embankments since 2011 and the factors such as brittle embankments, encroachments, deforestation and poor drainage contributing to these crisis and if so, the details thereof; (b) the Government’s assessment of similar threats in other flood-prone States such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal and the number of embankment failures and breaches recorded in the current monsoon; (c) the short-term and long-term flood mitigation plan of the Government including measures for watershed management, wetland restoration and modern early-warning systems; (d) whether a national basin-level Flood Management Authority is being considered to replace ad-hoc embankment policies and if so, the details thereof; and (e) the timelines set and the funds allocated to strengthen natural drainage, protect wetlands and ensure sustainable river flow interventions across vulnerable regions? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY) (a) to (b) Assam is affected by floods every year in varying degrees. The problem is compounded due to embankment breaches, encroachments, deforestation and poor drainage. Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal also face the similar problems in varying degrees. As per the report of Central Water Commission on 'Assessment of Area Affected due to Floods in India (2024)' based on the satellite images (1986-2022), the aggregated extent of flood affected areas in the state of Assam, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal are 2.477 Million Hectare (Mha), 2.914 Mha, 5.174 Mha and 1.840 Mha respectively. Flood management, including erosion control falls within the purview of the States and the data regarding number of embankment failures and breaches is not maintained centrally. Government of Assam has informed that since 2011, a total of 421 nos. of breach have been recorded in different districts all over Assam. During monsoon season 2019 to 2024, a total of 126 no. of breaches have occurred which 1have been closed immediately. Government of Uttar Pradesh has informed that there is no breach of embankment in current monsoon. (c) to (e) Flood management and anti-erosion schemes are formulated and implemented by concerned State Governments as per their priority. The Union Government supplements the efforts of the States by providing technical guidance and also promotional financial assistance for management of floods in critical areas. Integrated flood management approach aims at adopting judicious mix of structural and non- structural measures to provide a reasonable degree of protection against flood damages at economic cost. To strengthen the structural measures of flood management, Ministry had implemented during XI & XII Plan Flood Management Programme (FMP) for providing Central Assistance to States for works related to river management, flood control, anti-erosion, drainage development, anti-sea erosion, etc. which subsequently continued as a component of "Flood Management and Border Areas Programme" (FMBAP) for the period 2017-21 and further extended during 2021-2026 with limited outlay. Total Central assistance amounting to Rs 7260.50Cr. has been released under FMP component to various states up to March 2025. As a non-structural measure of flood management, Central Water Commission (CWC) issues short- range flood forecasts with a lead time up to 24 hrs to concerned State Governments at identified locations. CWC also issues inflow forecasts to identified reservoirs for proper reservoir regulation. Presently, flood forecasts are issued by CWC at 350 stations (150 Inflow Forecast Stations + 200 Level Forecast Stations) as per Standard Operating Procedure. The network has been established in consultation with State Govt./Project authorities. These forecasts are disseminated through a dedicated website, namely https://ffs.india-water.gov.in. In order to provide more lead time to the local authorities to plan evacuation of people & take other remedial measures, CWC has developed basin wise flood forecasting model based on rainfall-runoff mathematical modelling for 7-days advance flood forecast advisory for all the forecasting stations. Its dissemination is through the dedicated website, namely https://aff.india- water.gov.in. CWC flood forecasting service are also integrated with integrated alert dissemination platform Common Alert Protocol (CAP) issued to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) of the respective States/UTs. Flood Plain Zoning including watershed management and wetland restoration area is effective method of flood moderation with the potential of floodwater storage and crucial ecosystem restoration. Flood plain zones envisage delineating the areas as per the return period of flooding including classification of land for different uses intended to safeguard the health, safety and property of the general public. In order to enable States to undertake scientific assessment of flood plains and its zoning, a technical guideline on Flood Plain Zoning has been finalised by Ministry and circulated to States for implementation. ***** 2