Lok Sabha Question No. 2411 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-01
Subject: Flood Devastation in NER
Ministry: DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION
Asked by: Agatha K. Sangma

## Government of India Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2411

To be answered on

Monday, August 1, 2022/Sravana 10, 1944(Saka)

## QUESTION

## Flood Devastation in NER

## 2411.  KUMARI AGATHA K. SANGMA :

Will the Minister of DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION be pleased to state

- (a) whether the Government has assessed the effect of this year's flood devastation in Meghalaya and North Eastern Region (NER) economy and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the steps to improve economic resilience of States in the NER to flooding and related calamities;
- (c) the  comprehensive measures taken or proposed to be taken by the Government to tackle the issues of flooding and land erosion in Meghalaya;
- (d) whether the Government intends to introduce a bill towards a long-term solution for flood and erosion in NER; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof including timeline set for the same?

## ANSWER

## The Minister of the Ministry of  Development of North Eastern Region [Shri G. Kishan Reddy ]

- (a) State-wise assessment of damage caused due to natural calamities, including flood, is not  carried  out  by  this  Ministry.    However,  State-wise  details  of damage  caused  by  hydrometeorological  calamities  like  floods during  2022-23  (as  on  12.07.2022),  in  the  states  of North Eastern Region including Meghalaya, as assessed/reported by the Disaster Management Division (Ministry of Home Affairs), are at Annexure-I.
- (b) & (c) Flood management comes under the purview of the State Governments, and the  schemes  for  flood  control,  etc.  are  formulated  and  implemented  by  concerned  States. The Union Government supplements the efforts of the States including the States of North

Eastern Region (NER) by providing technical guidance, financial resources and assistance for management of floods in critical areas. In 2017, Government of India through Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) had extended one time financial assistance of Rs. 200 crore to five NER States (viz. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland)  for  re-building  the  totally  washed  away/damaged  infrastructure  during  flood  in 2017. Central assistance of Rs. 139.91 crore has been released to the States of NER for anti-erosion/flood control activities and prevention of landslides during last 5 years (FY 201718 to FY 2021-22) under the Schemes of North Eastern Council, including Rs. 22.73 Crore for  the  State  of  Meghalaya.  The  Government  had  implemented  a  plan  called  Flood Management  Programme  (FMP)  for  providing  Central  Assistance  to  States  including  NER states  for  works  related  to  river  management,  flood  control,  erosion  control,  drainage development, etc. which subsequently continued as a component of "Flood Management and Border  Areas  Programme"  (FMBAP)  for  the  period  from  2017-18  to  2020-21  and  further extended up to September 2022.

Central Water Commission (CWC) is the nodal organization entrusted with the task of flood forecasting & early flood warnings in the country. In order to provide more lead time to local authorities  to  plan  evacuation  of  people  &  take  other  precautionary  measures,  CWC has developed a basin wise flood forecasting model based on rainfall-runoff. Also, the North Eastern  Space  Application  Centre  (NESAC),  an  institution  established  under  the  joint initiative  of  Department  of  Space  and  North Eastern  Council  (NEC)  uses  satellite  data  for developing  early  warning  system  on  natural  calamities  like  floods.    In  addition,  Disaster Management Division,  Ministry  of  Home  Affairs has issued  guidelines  on  Management  of Floods  in  January,  2008,    Management  of  Urban  Flooding  in  September,  2010  and Management  of  Landslides  and  Snow  Avalanches  in  June,  2009  and  issued  a  National Disaster  Management  Plan  in  which  action  to  be  taken  on  various  calamities,  including floods and landslide, has been outlined.

(d)&  (e) At  present,  there  is  no  proposal  to  introduce  any  Bill  on  solution  for  flood  and erosion in NER, as per inputs received from the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

*****

## Annexure-I

Details  of  damages  as  reported  by  Disaster  Management  Division  (Ministry  of  Home Affairs) due  to  hydrometeorological calamities during the year 2022-23  (As  on 12.07.2022)*

| Sl. No.    |       | 2022-23 (as on 12.07.2022)   | 2022-23 (as on 12.07.2022)   | 2022-23 (as on 12.07.2022)   | 2022-23 (as on 12.07.2022)        |
|------------|-------|------------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
| NER        |       | Humans Lost (Nos)            | Livestock Lost (Nos)         | Houses/Huts Damaged (Nos)    | Crops Area Affected (in lakh ha.) |
| 1 Pradesh  | 17    | 13                           | 699                          | **                           |                                   |
| 2 Assam    | 182   | 53781                        | 223663                       | 2.401                        |                                   |
| Manipur    | 53    | -                            | -                            | -                            | 3                                 |
| Meghalaya  | 36    | 338                          | 4863                         | 0.011                        | 4                                 |
| 5 Mizoram  | -     | -                            | -                            | -                            |                                   |
| 6 Nagaland | 3     | -                            | 345                          | 0.003                        |                                   |
| 7 Sikkim   | 8     | 11                           | 3355                         | 0.002                        |                                   |
| Tripura    | 3     | -                            | 1816                         | -                            | 8                                 |
| Total      | Total | 302                          | 54143                        | 234741                       | 2.417                             |