The ASDMA has adopted a stratified approach to prepare for the flood season.......
Digital desk: The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) held an all-stakeholder meeting on flood preparedness in the state capital of Guwahati to increase flood preparedness throughout the region.
More than 40 departments from state and central agencies took part in the consultations. The meeting marked the end of a series of thematic discussions on flood preparedness that ASDMA had been having, before the start of the state's flood season, with line departments, various state and central responding agencies involved in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.
The ASDMA has adopted a stratified approach to prepare for the flood season. Reporting and damage assessment, coordination of response, relief camp management, ensuring continuity of services, critical infrastructure preparedness, and risk communication are some of the thematic groups under which flood preparedness has been divided.
To improve the preparedness for response and recovery in their areas of responsibility, consultations have been held as part of these efforts with a number of departments, including the Department of Education, Public Works, and Power (PWD), as well as the Department of Telecom (DoT), Fire & Emergency Services (F&ES), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF).
The coordination meeting took stock of various action points for flood preparedness decided as part of the consultations by different departments. The Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) for rice distribution for flood relief was considered, in addition to the guidelines for the State Disaster Relief Fund.
During the discussions, representatives from the NDRF, SDRF, and F&ES talked about how to respond quickly to floods and recover from them. The techniques implemented for early flood warnings during the upcoming monsoon season were shared with officials of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC) during the meetings.
The Brahmaputra, Barak, and their tributaries are causing significant bank erosion in the state, according to the Assam Water Resources Department. In Assam, erosion-related damages amount to several hundred crores annually. about the past 60 years, bank erosion by these rivers has created a severe hazard because it has destroyed land totaling about 4.27 lakh hectares, or 7.40 percent of Assam's area.
An study states that Assam loses almost 8,000 hectares of land on average. The Brahmaputra River's breadth has expanded up to 15 kilometers in certain locations as a result of bank erosion. The surveys that are being conducted show a concerning picture of the Brahmaputra river's widening.
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