Now Reading: Assam needs national solution to floods, not just a label: CM
-
01
Assam needs national solution to floods, not just a label: CM
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said the state needs a 'national solution' to its annual floods, not merely a declaration that floods are a national problem. Speaking after visiting affected…
The Story in Brief
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said the state needs a 'national solution' to its annual floods, not merely a declaration that floods are a national problem. Speaking after visiting affected areas in Mangaldoi, Darrang district, Sarma said scientific interventions were needed. He proposed asking IITs, IIMs, Dibrugarh University and Gauhati University to design schemes, which he would then take to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for funding.
The floods this year have killed 98 people, with the worst-hit districts being Sivasagar, Charaideo and Jorhat. More than 77,000 people remain in relief camps. Sarma criticised the state's long-standing reliance on embankments and geo-bags, saying Assam lacked a scientific mechanism to tackle the crisis. The All Assam Students' Union and others have for decades demanded that the Centre declare the flood and erosion problem a national issue.
The Indian Opinion
The usual lazy narrative paints Assam's flood cry as another state seeking central doles. But CM Sarma's call for IITs and universities to design a scientific solution is a welcome shift from decades of embankment-and-geo-bag fixes. The question is not whether floods need a national response, but whether New Delhi will fund a concrete plan, or just pass a resolution. Watch for the detailed scheme the universities produce, and whether the Centre puts real money behind it.
Sources (2): newindianexpress.com, thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
