Assam Minister of Water Resources, Pijush Hazarika, announced on Friday that he has assessed repairs for 41 damaged sites on 26 embankments across the state ahead of this year's monsoon season. He also addressed three additional sites where damage was caused by miscreants during the last monsoon.
Hazarika conducted a review meeting with the Department of Water Resources' chief engineer, senior engineers, and executive engineers at the Assam Water Centre in Basistha, Guwahati.
"I don't know if we can completely eliminate the flood problem in the state, but let us at least prepare ourselves to deal with this issue," Hazarika said in a statement to the media in Guwahati. He also reviewed ongoing construction work at several locations, as well as the construction of ring bunds, sluice gates, and other structures.
The minister has instructed the department to take preventive measures within the next 15 days at 108 vulnerable spots he identified in Assam.
"I have asked the department to remain vigilant in all districts during the monsoon season and complete all ongoing projects on time," Hazarika said. He also shared an abstract of the status of vulnerable embankments in Assam, revealing that Lakhimpur district has the most weak embankments, with 13.
According to Hazarika, almost 10 lakh geo bags have been deployed to deal with the flood situation in vulnerable locations. Assam, with its extensive network of rivers, is prone to natural disasters such as floods and erosion, which have a negative impact on the state's overall development. The Brahmaputra and Barak River, with more than 50 tributaries feeding them, cause flooding during the monsoon period each year. Assam's flood and erosion problem is unique in terms of extent, duration, and magnitude compared to other states and is probably the most acute and unique in the country.
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