Lok Sabha Question No. 3951 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-19
Subject: Flood Situation in Assam
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Phani Bhusan Choudhury

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

## DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3951

## ANSWERED ON 19.12.2024

## FLOOD SITUATION IN ASSAM

## 3951.    SHRI PHANI BHUSAN CHOUDHURY

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a)  the  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government to safeguard the citizens against the  yearly devastating flood disaster in Assam as China and Bhutan are releasing water from their dams in the Brahmaputra River during the monsoon;

(b) whether the Government is taking any proactive steps to address this issue and if so, the details thereof; and

(c)  the  initiatives  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  towards  the  permanent  solution  for  the  flood  and erosion in Assam?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a)  &  (b) Various  issues  relating  to  trans-border  rivers  are  discussed  with  China  under  the  ambit  of  an institutionalized Expert Level Mechanism which was established in 2006. Further, water level and discharge are observed and monitored at sites on Brahmaputra River close to the international boundary between India and China.

A Joint Expert Team (JET) has been constituted in 1979 to monitor the progress of the work related to  collection  and  transmission  of  hydro  meteorological  data  on  36  hydro-meteorological  sites  on  common rivers flowing from Bhutan to India including releases from dams of Bhutan like Tala HEP, Chukha HEP and Kurichhu  dam,  etc.  The  data  received  from  above  36  stations  are  utilised  in  India  by  Central  Water Commission for formulating flood forecasts.

(c) Flood  management  &  anti-erosion  schemes  are  planned,  investigated  and  implemented  by  the  State Governments with their own resources as per priority within the State. The Union Government supplements the  efforts  of  the  States  by  way  of  technical  guidance  and  promotional  financial  assistance  for  flood management  in  critical areas. To  strengthen the structural measures of  flood  management,  Union Government had implemented Flood Management Programme (FMP) during XI & XII Plans for providing central assistance to States for works related to 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 from 2017-18 to 2020-21 and was further extended up to 2026. Total 141  flood  management  projects  with  estimated  cost  of  Rs.  2383.11  Crore  has  been  included  under  Flood Management  Programme  (FMP)  for  the  state  of  Assam. The  total  central  assistance  released  to  State  of Assam under  Flood  Management  Programme  (FMP)  since  XI  plan  is  Rs.  1557.04  Crore.  111  number  of completed projects in the State of Assam under FMP component of FMBAP have given protection to an area of around 7.365 lakh ha and to a population of about 1.745 crore.

In  addition  to  this,  Govt.  of  Assam  informed  that  State  has  so  far  constructed  4,532  Km  of embankments,  completed  1,280  anti-erosion  and  town  protection  works,  built  122  major  and  545  minor sluice  gates,  and  strengthened  1,047.85  Km  of  existing  dykes  by  raising  them  to  higher  standards  of resilience.

Under World Bank funded project "Assam Integrated River Basin Management Programme (AIRBMP)', two comprehensive flood management schemes, one at Buridehing river and the other at Manas-Beki river have been taken up by Government of Assam.

Further,  CWC issues short-range  flood forecasts with lead times of up to 24 hours as well as long term  forecast  with  7-day  Flood  Advisory  Forecasts,  as  a  non-  structural  measure  of  flood  management  to reduce loss of life and ensure proper reservoir operation. CWC maintains 30 level Flood Forecasting Stations in Assam.

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