Guwahati: Assam Chief Secretary Ravi Kota chaired a high-level meeting on Saturday to review the state’s preparedness for floods ahead of the South West Monsoon, expected to arrive in the Northeast in early June.
Officials from various state departments and central agencies participated in the meeting, while district commissioners joined the discussions virtually.
During the meeting, Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) Chief Executive Officer Gyanendra D Tripathi presented a detailed overview of the flood preparedness initiatives undertaken at both the state and district levels.
Tripathi noted that the ASDMA has already conducted seven thematic meetings with key stakeholders and held multiple video conferences with District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs) for a comprehensive, 360-degree review of preparedness efforts.
Chief Secretary Kota emphasized the need for seamless coordination among all departments and agencies, urging them to work closely with ASDMA to ensure effective flood management and minimize the impact on affected communities.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) briefed the meeting on deployment plans.
Of the 18 teams from the NDRF’s 1st Battalion, 14 will be stationed across Assam, with units prepositioned in Cachar, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, and Jorhat.
Additionally, the NDRF’s 12th Battalion will deploy teams in Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Dhemaji, and Sonitpur districts.
Officials from the Fire and Emergency Services Department reported that 639 personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), along with 299 fully operational rescue boats, have been deployed across 58 strategic locations in anticipation of flood-related emergencies.
A series of key decisions were taken during the review meeting to enhance the state’s readiness.
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District commissioners have been instructed to engage prepositioned NDRF teams to build capacity among local-level responders and communities.
The Public Health Engineering Department will support urban local bodies and other agencies in ensuring the provision of safe drinking water to flood-affected populations.
Additionally, the Agriculture Department has been tasked with launching a special drive to enroll farmers under the crop insurance scheme to mitigate agricultural losses during the flood season.
