Assam Water Resources department missed deadline to repair damage embankments
Guwahati, May 1 (IBNS): While the Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) had cautioned for facing severe damage in the upcoming monsoon season, the Assam government's Water Resources department has missed a deadline to repair damaged river embankments in the state issued by Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
The people living in the flood prone areas in the state are fearing to face severe damage in this year's flood after most of river embankments are in very worst conditions.
In February last, the Assam CM directed the state Water Resources department to complete all its repair works and strengthen river embankments by April 30, but the government department had missed the deadline as several embankments damaged in last year's flood are still in same conditions.
It is to be mentioned that, nearly 85 per cent of 4,474.42 km of embankments in the state have already outlived their lifespan as most of them were built in 1950's and frequently beaches during floods.
The state has 423 embankments with a total length of 4474.42 km and out of these, nearly 3998 km of 295 embankments have already outlived their lifespan.
The state Water Resources minister Keshab Mahanta had recently claimed that 26 river embankments which were breached in last year's flood have been repaired, but the facts that, out of these only 15 embankments have been repaired.
In last year, the devastating flood had claimed over 170 lives in the state and over 3 million people of 31 districts out of 33 districts were affected.
Amir Hussain, a resident of central Assam’s Morigaon district said that, several river embankments still are in worst conditions and people are fearing of severe damage in this year also.
"We have urged the state government and the concerned authorities several occasions to repair the damage embankments before the monsoon season. But they didn't," Amir Hussain said.
The state witnessed 40 times devastating floods since 2001 and the floods claimed 1071 lives during the period.
According to the government data, the floods during the period had claimed 199 lives alone in central Assam’s district Morigaon, while 188 died in Goalpara, 100 in Nagaon, 96 in Dhubri, 66 in Barpeta, 41 in Dhemaji, 66 in Lakhimpur, 35 in Kokrajhar, 32 in Kamrup, 27 in Majuli, 23 in Dibrugarh, 18 each in Baska and Kamrup (Metro), 17 each in Darrang, South Salmara and Cachar.
The state has lost over 4,03,050 bigha land, those were eroded by the Brahmaputra river and its tributaries during the period.
(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
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