Guwahati: Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the government will make Assam flood-free in the next five years. On Friday, he emphasised the need for the state's protection from floods for its further development and attracting investors.
"Earlier, during Assembly elections, I said that we made Assam free from terrorism and strikes. Now give us five years. We will make Assam free from floods. The Assam government has made a yojana which will make floods a thing of the past in Assam within 5 yrs," said the BJP leader.
He added that the state government needs to come up with a long-term plan which will provide protection from floods for decades. The minister emphasised that short-term measures alone will not save Assam from frequent floods plaguing it. He observed that rejuvenating wetlands that can act as storage reservoirs is important.
"The state must come up with a long-term plan which would provide protection from floods for decades to come and not look at short-term measures alone. The Assam government should come up with a concrete action plan to protect and rejuvenate the wetlands in the State and increase their holding capacity so that they can also act as storage reservoirs during floods," he said.
The Assam flood caused over 190 deaths in the first seven months of 2022 alone. Landslide conditions and floods due to heavy rainfall is a frequent occurrences in the state. This year, around 5.39 lakh people were affected across 12 districts.
Agriculture of the state suffers greatly during the flood and fish farmers are among those who incur massive losses. Around 80% of fish farmers in Assam suffered a loss worth approximately Rs 1,000 crores. According to the Flood Reporting and Information Management System (FRIMS) report, from January to August 2021, 950 villages in 21 districts were affected by floods which put 3,63,135 in trouble.