It is unfortunate that the Government of Assam has not yet been able to fully prepare itself to mitigate the sufferings of the people during floods and on most occasions, the concerned departments of the Government start the preparations to deal with the natural calamity only during the monsoon season. Last year, the State faced one of the worst ever floods, which affected all but one district of the State, but till now, most of the flood prone districts are not well equipped to deal with such a situation.

The first wave of floods of the year has hit the State with 20 villages in Dhemaji district being submerged by waters from Arunachal Pradesh. The affected villages are Dihing, Bhokot, Bhokotkoibotta, No.1 Bokulbari, Morolusuk, Kalitagaon, Nagaon, Station Colony, Milangaon, among others. Continuous rainfall in Arunachal Pradesh last week resulted in overflowing of the Jiyadhol, Gai and the Kumotia rivers, waters from which accumulated in the Somarjan area of Dhemaji district. It may be mentioned here that floods have been a regular feature in the Somarjan area for the last ten years.

The Asian Development Bank has embarked upon an ambitious plan to work out long-term strategy with the help of international experts to control the perennial problem of flood in Assam. The Bank which will fund and execute project, has identified four vulnerable areas of the state for its first-phase of work. These are Palas bari in Kamrup district, Kaziranga, Dibrugarh town and Matmora in worst flood-hit Dhemaji district.

Every year the Brahmaputra and its tributaries bring death and destruction to Assam. Yet, there is no long-term plan to tackle floods in the State.