Sep 30 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)
Assam Needs Attention
Centre and northeast states must evolve long-term strategy to prevent calamitous flood disasters
Within days of the deluge in Jammu & Kashmir, Assam and Meghalaya were struck by devastating floods that killed nearly 80 people and affected an estimated 12 lakh across the two northeastern states. The two state governments were inadequately prepared to tackle the flood fury that wreaked havoc across 13 districts of Assam and most parts of Meghalaya in the third week of September. A combination of lethargy and unpreparedness of the National Disaster Response Force and its state variant in Assam caused vast swathes of land to be inundated, leaving hundreds of thousands marooned.Unlike in J&K, where despite nearly 300 deaths the army and ITBP moved swiftly on the rescue and rehabilitation fronts, the situation in Assam and Meghalaya turned grim with little assistance manpower or financial from the Centre. Distracted by dissidence within the ruling Congress, the Tarun Gogoi administration could offer little resistance to water rushing down the hills from Meghalaya. The Met department had forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall and yet the state government's reaction was delayed.The army and NDRF's emergency aid and rescue missions were too little too late, especially in the worst-hit Goalpara and Kamrup districts.
Floods occur with brutal regularity in the northeast, especially Assam, but the response is often reactive, with no effective mitigation or countermeasures that could prevent hazards from turning into disasters. Instead of blaming each other for the flood mess, the central and Assam governments must implement a coordinated rehabilitation plan to assist people who have taken shelter in relief camps. On its part, the Centre could allocate funds to Assam and Meghalaya from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund. But the state governments too must focus on long-term capacity building, early warning systems, fail-safe communication and anticipatory deployment of response forces.
Floods occur with brutal regularity in the northeast, especially Assam, but the response is often reactive, with no effective mitigation or countermeasures that could prevent hazards from turning into disasters. Instead of blaming each other for the flood mess, the central and Assam governments must implement a coordinated rehabilitation plan to assist people who have taken shelter in relief camps. On its part, the Centre could allocate funds to Assam and Meghalaya from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund. But the state governments too must focus on long-term capacity building, early warning systems, fail-safe communication and anticipatory deployment of response forces.
