900 km new embankments, 70% flood drop: Govt tells House on Day 2 of Winter Session

Guwahati, Nov 26: On the second day of the Winter Session of the Assam Legislative Assembly, river erosion dominated Question Hour, with the Opposition accusing the government of neglect and inadequate protection measures across several districts.

Water Resources Minister Pijush Hazarika defended the government’s record, citing extensive embankment construction and major ongoing projects, and assured targeted interventions in severely affected zones.

“In the history of Assam, the works on river bank protection were carried out extensively under the leadership of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. We have successfully protected 1,100 km of river bank in the past four years,” Hazarika said, responding to a question by Congress MLA Diganta Barman.

He said that after taking charge, the department identified the said amount of vulnerable stretches without levees or embankments, and subsequently constructed over 900 km of new embankments. “If conditions permit, another 70 km will be taken up soon,” he added.

Claiming a major reduction in flood severity, Hazarika said the construction of nearly 900 km of embankments has reduced flood intensity by over 70%.

He noted that in erosion-prone areas, land acquisition often becomes expensive, but many villagers cooperated and parted with land to enable embankment construction to protect their homes and fields.

The Minister listed ongoing World Bank projects on the Beki and Burhi Dihing rivers and an ADB-funded project on the Brahmaputra, adding that more than 70% of assistance under SOP, RIDF and NABARD had been used to build new embankments.

Raising the question, Congress MLA Barman highlighted severe erosion caused by the Pagladia River from Tamulpur to Adabari and asked whether the estimated Rs 400-crore protection project would be sanctioned without delay.

Hazarika said, “We will discuss the Pagladia proposal with PWD and try to fix the issue through funds.”

Congress MLA Abdus Sobahan Ali Sarkar then accused the Water Resources Department of ignoring erosion-hit pockets of Golakganj despite repeated pleas.

“The government’s report on erosion does not even mention several affected areas in my constituency. I have been raising this issue every session. Only a few porcupines and geo-bags were provided, which were insufficient. Several villages have disappeared,” he said.

Sarkar demanded schemes linked to the 15th Finance Commission for western Assam and urged the government to extend World Bank protection projects to the Gangadhar River, which affects Golakganj, Gauripur and Dhubri.

Responding, Hazarika said the department prioritised new embankments over erosion-control structures in its first phase.

“In the last five years, our priority was new embankments. All new embankments are built with geo mega tubes and will not weather for 50 to 100 years. Earlier governments built only 4,000 km of embankments in 70 years. We have constructed over 1,000 km in just four and a half years,” he said, hitting back at the Opposition.

He added that both embankment building and erosion control cannot be executed simultaneously everywhere, but said the government spends over Rs 2,000 crore every year for the purpose. “Next year, when we form government again, our priority will be to resolve erosion,” he said.

Congress MLA Wazed Ali Choudhury also flagged severe erosion in Fakirganj and adjoining villages, stating that several villages had been washed away and that urgent protection measures were needed.

Acknowledging the gravity of the situation, Hazarika alleged frequent disruptions at the work site. “We have worked there. But workers cannot go to the site because residents do not allow them to work,” he said. He added that around Rs 10 crore had been sanctioned, but work had to be halted two or three times.

He assured that work would resume, saying, “We will begin again, provided local residents do not cause unfair trouble to the workers.”