Centre gave Rs 2,536 crore for flood control projects in NE: MoS Jal Shakti
New Delhi, Aug 3
Since March 2026, Central assistance amounting to Rs 2,536.96 crore has been provided under the "Flood Management and Border Areas Programme" for 263 flood management projects in the North Eastern States, including Sikkim, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Monday.
Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary, in a written reply to a question, said the Brahmaputra Board has prepared 52 Master Plans for the North-Eastern States, which include short, medium, and long-term measures, both structural and non-structural, for flood management.
The State Governments undertake assessment of damages caused by the 12 notified natural calamities, including rain and floods, and provide relief assistance from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) already placed at their disposal, as per the approved norms of the Government of India, he said.
Additional financial assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) is provided, as per the prescribed procedure, in case of disasters of a 'severe nature', which includes an assessment by an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT), he said.
For effective river basin management and flood forecasting in the North Eastern Region, Hydrological and Meteorological Data are shared by neighbouring countries, he said.
Raj Bhushan Choudhary said that the Ministry has continuously impressed upon the States the need to adopt Flood Plain Zoning (FPZ) as a non-structural measure of flood management in the country.
In order to enable States to undertake scientific assessment of flood plains and their zoning as a non-structural measure of flood mitigation, a technical guideline on Flood Plain Zoning has been prepared and circulated to the States/UTs in August, 2025 by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, he said.
The Minister of State said the Central Water Commission (CWC) issues short-range flood forecasts with a lead time of up to 24 hours to State governments at identified locations.s
The CWC also issues inflow forecasts for identified reservoirs to facilitate proper reservoir regulation. Presently, flood forecasts are issued by CWC at 360 stations (159 Inflow Forecast Stations and 201 Level Forecast Stations) in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedure, he said.
— IANS
Reader Comments
263 projects across NE states - that's substantial. But my biggest concern is the pace of execution. In Assam, many embankments are in pathetic condition. Hope the Centre pushes states to complete these projects on time, especially before the next monsoon season.
Good to see proactive funding for disaster management. The Flood Plain Zoning guidelines from Aug 2025 are a smart move. Without proper zoning, people keep building in vulnerable areas and the cycle of flood damage repeats every year.
The sharing of hydrological data with neighbouring countries is crucial. Rivers like Brahmaputra flow from China - without their data, we're just guessing. Appreciate that the minister acknowledged this limitation. Still, the IMCT assessment process for NDRF is painfully slow when people need immediate help 😔
Honest observation - Rs 2,536 crore divided among 263 projects comes to roughly Rs 9.6 crore per project. For a region with such complex river systems, that's barely enough. We need a long-term vision, not just piecemeal funding every few years. The 52 master plans should be the real game-changer.
As someone from Guwahati, I can say this - flood forecasting of 24 hours is good, but many of our rural areas don't even have internet to receive alerts. The government needs to invest in local warning systems too. The CWC station count of 360 seems low for this region especially.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.