Assam floods: Congress seeks national problem status for recurring crisis

Guwahati, August 13: The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has urged the central government to declare the state's annual floods and river erosion a 'national problem', saying the scale of the disaster exceeds the capacity of the state administration alone.

A delegation led by Pranjit Das, Chairman of the APCC Relief and Rehabilitation Department, submitted a memorandum to Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya on Wednesday, addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The memorandum calls for a permanent and scientific solution to the perennial crisis.

The flood situation in Assam showed marginal improvement on Wednesday, with the number of affected people declining to 87,000 across four districts. However, the death toll climbed to 103, with two more fatalities reported, according to official data.

The Congress party's memorandum highlights that approximately 40% of Assam's total land area — about 31.05 lakh hectares — is prone to flooding, a figure significantly higher than the national average of 10.2%. It attributes the aggravation of the crisis to heavy siltation in the Brahmaputra and Barak river basins, torrential monsoon rains, shallow riverbeds, embankment breaches, and the broader impacts of climate change.

The document notes that the floods have destroyed the livelihoods of farmers, daily wage labourers, and tea garden workers, and displaced countless families across the state. It argues that the recurring nature and magnitude of the disaster require a coordinated response from the central government.

The APCC has demanded the formation of a high-level task force comprising officials from the central and state governments, scientists, technical experts, and representatives of affected communities. This task force, it says, should be tasked with devising a long-term solution to the problem.

The party has also sought adequate central funding for a comprehensive master plan. Key components of the proposed plan include river course regulation, strengthening of embankments, scientific dredging, real-time flood forecasting, early warning systems, and planned rehabilitation for displaced families.

Additionally, the memorandum stresses the need for effective coordination among central ministries for the integrated management of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries. The Congress party maintains that temporary relief measures are insufficient to address a crisis of this magnitude.

'Temporary relief alone cannot provide a lasting solution to this long-standing crisis,' the memorandum states.

Assam has experienced severe flooding in recent weeks, with multiple waves of inundation affecting residential areas, agricultural land, and infrastructure. The Brahmaputra and its tributaries have been flowing above the danger mark at several locations, exacerbating the situation.

The demand for national problem status comes amid growing concerns over the long-term viability of existing flood management measures. Experts have repeatedly called for a holistic approach that combines structural interventions with community-based disaster preparedness.

The state government has been conducting relief and rescue operations, but the scale of the disaster has stretched resources. The central government has announced financial assistance and deployed National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams to affected areas.

However, the Congress party's demand reflects a broader political consensus in the state that the recurring floods require more than annual relief packages. The issue has often been raised in Parliament, with members from Assam across party lines urging the Centre to adopt a long-term perspective.

The memorandum submitted on Wednesday is the latest in a series of efforts by the opposition party to press the central government for a sustained, scientific solution. Whether the Centre will heed the demand remains to be seen, but the urgency of the crisis is undeniable.

As the monsoon season continues, authorities remain on alert. The coming days will determine whether the flood situation worsens or recedes, but the underlying vulnerability of the region to annual devastation is unlikely to change without major interventions.