GUWAHATI: Union Minister Amit Shah proposed a precise strategy to mitigate the pertinent flood problem in the Northeast – dig 50 large ponds in the region to divert the water from Brahmaputra.
“These ponds will serve as reservoirs to store excess floodwater, which will ultimately benefit agriculture,” Shah stated during a meeting to evaluate the flood condition in states across the country, on Sunday.
Minister Shah also requested a detailed report on the flood situations in Sikkim and Manipur.
The meeting saw the attendance of key departments, including the Director Generals of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the India Meteorological Department (IMD), as well as officials from the Ministries of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change, among others.
Highlighting the importance of preparedness, Shah directed concerned departments to ensure that floodgates of all major dams across the country are in optimal condition.
He highlighted that non-perennial rivers are particularly vulnerable to soil erosion, leading to floods, and called for an upgrade in the river water level forecast system for improved flood management.
Shah also stressed the necessity of incorporating natural drainage systems in road construction designs to handle potential road inundation during floods.
Furthermore, he instructed the IMD to disseminate lightning alerts promptly through SMS, TV, FM radio, and other media channels.
This directive is timely, given that the Northeast experienced over 100,000 lightning strikes in the three days leading up to June 21, according to press reports.
Interestingly, a few of the strategies discussed echoed those from a similar meeting Shah attended in June 2023.
Last year, he had suggested consulting foreign expert agencies to develop software for accurate weather forecasting under the Centre’s “Aapda Mitra” scheme, but the current status of this software is still pending.
Meanwhile, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh continue to face severe flood-like conditions.
In Assam, as of Saturday, 3.90 lakh people have been affected by floods across 19 districts.
In Arunachal Pradesh, a sudden cloudburst in Itanagar on Sunday morning triggered multiple landslides and flooded several areas, worsening the flood crisis.
As the Northeast grapples with these challenges, it will be interesting to see if the proposed strategies will provide a long-term solutions to mitigate the region’s perennial flood problem.
