The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has urged the Centre to recognise the state’s recurring flood and river erosion crisis as a “national problem”, calling for sustained intervention to address the issue.
A delegation led by APCC Relief and Rehabilitation Department Chairman Pranjit Das met Assam Governor Lakshman Acharya and submitted a multi-point memorandum addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Union Jal Shakti Minister and the Union Finance Minister.
The memorandum stated that nearly 40 per cent of Assam’s land area, covering around 31.05 lakh hectares, is vulnerable to floods. The Congress delegation attributed the worsening situation to heavy siltation in the Brahmaputra and Barak river systems, torrential monsoon rainfall, embankment breaches and climate change.
According to the delegation, repeated flooding and river erosion have inflicted widespread damage on homes, farmland and livelihoods. Farmers, daily wage earners, tea garden workers and thousands of families forced to relocate have been among those affected.
The APCC argued that the scale and recurring nature of the crisis were beyond the capacity of the state government to address alone and sought greater Central intervention for a permanent and scientific solution.
The memorandum called for the creation of a high-level task force involving Central and state officials, scientists, technical experts and representatives of communities affected by floods and erosion.
The Congress also sought adequate Central funding for a comprehensive master plan focused on river management, strengthening embankments, scientific dredging, real-time flood forecasting, early warning mechanisms and rehabilitation of displaced families.
The delegation further pressed for stronger coordination among Central ministries for the integrated management of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries.
The Congress leaders maintained that short-term relief measures could not resolve Assam’s decades-old flood and erosion crisis and urged the Centre to take urgent steps towards a safer and more sustainable future for the state’s people.
