Guwahati, May 17: With the monsoon set to arrive earlier than usual and heavy rains forecast for parts of Assam, Chief Secretary Ravi Kota on Saturday chaired a high-level meeting to review statewide flood preparedness. The meeting, held at Lok Sewa Bhawan, brought together key officials and departments to strategize ahead of what could be a challenging flood season.
As Chairperson of the State Executive Committee (SEC), Kota conducted a video conference with District Commissioners (DCs) to assess district-level readiness. He emphasized the importance of close coordination among all departments and agencies with the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) during the flood season.
Gyanendra D Tripathi, CEO of ASDMA, presented a comprehensive update on the state’s preparedness. He highlighted: 7 thematic stakeholder meetings, video conferences with all District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs), A state-level colliders meeting chaired by the Revenue & Disaster Management Minister on April 7, 2025 and early alert and uneven monsoon.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted very heavy rains in Assam’s southern and western districts from May 17 for the next four days. Although the normal monsoon onset in the Northeast is around June 15, this year it is expected by June 2. Interestingly, the Northeast may receive less than normal rainfall, while the rest of India could see excess rain.
The NDRF has deployed 14 out of 18 teams across Assam, covering districts like Cachar, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Dhemaji, and Sonitpur.
639 SDRF personnel and 299 rescue boats have been positioned at 58 key locations by Fire & Emergency Services (F&ES).
ASDMA to share road and highway data from PWD (Roads), PWD (NH), NHAI, and NSDCL with DDMAs for better coordination.
District Commissioners to use NDRF teams for capacity-building of local responders and communities during non-flood periods.
Public Health Engineering (PHE) to assist urban local bodies in ensuring safe drinking water during urban floods.
The Agriculture Department to launch a special campaign to enrol 8.4 lakh farmers in the crop insurance scheme.
Central Water Commission (CWC) to provide officer lists to the Chief Wildlife Warden for entry pass issuance to Manas National Park.
As Assam braces for an early monsoon, the focus is firmly on prevention, preparedness, and rapid response, with a coordinated push across departments to minimize disaster impact.
