Guwahati: Assam's Agriculture and Irrigation Minister, Pijush Hazarika, admitted in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday that the state government was caught off guard by the recent, severe floods that ravaged parts of Upper Assam. Speaking during the ninth day of the ongoing Budget Session, Minister Hazarika described the deluge as a "natural calamity," distinct from the annual monsoon flooding the state routinely prepares for.
Highlighting the unusual nature of the event, Hazarika explained that the floodwaters, which inundated districts including Jorhat, Sivasagar, Charaideo, and Nazira, did not follow the conventional course of the Brahmaputra River. Instead, the water entered from multiple directions, creating an unprecedented situation. "On July 19, massive water flow originating from Nagaland led to an extraordinary flood in Assam," the Minister stated, adding that areas like Nazira, Charaideo, and Titabor had never witnessed such extensive flooding before.
Minister Hazarika reiterated that while the state is typically well-prepared for its regular flood cycles, this particular event defied expectations due to its scale and origin. Addressing concerns about infrastructure, he maintained that the majority of embankments constructed by the Water Resources Department successfully withstood the deluge. He clarified that only a few structures sustained damage, emphasizing that these were not conventional breaches but rather minor impacts in the face of significantly elevated water levels, which rose several meters above normal.
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