Silchar: The Barak Democratic Front (BDF) has urged the Assam government to immediately implement both short-term and long-term flood prevention measures, warning that the devastating floods in Upper Assam should serve as a wake-up call for the Barak Valley.

In a press statement issued on Tuesday, BDF said the flood situation in the Upper Assam districts of Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat and Golaghat has become alarming. According to official figures, 68 people have lost their lives, over seven lakh people have been affected, and nearly 40,000 people have taken shelter in relief camps. The organisation said the situation has revived memories of the catastrophic floods that devastated the Barak Valley in 2022.

BDF Chief Convener Pradip Dutta Roy alleged that despite the increasing severity of floods over the past several decades, successive governments have failed to formulate and implement a comprehensive flood management strategy. He said political parties repeatedly promise a flood-free Assam during elections, but governments limit their response to relief distribution after disasters occur and fail to address the root causes of flooding.

He also expressed disappointment that while the Prime Minister and several Union Ministers have frequently visited Assam during election campaigns, none had visited the state during the present humanitarian crisis.

According to Dutta Roy, the worsening flood situation in both Upper Assam and Southern Assam is the result of several factors, including large-scale deforestation in hill catchment areas, excessive silt deposition in rivers, disappearance of wetlands due to urban expansion, poor maintenance of embankments, riverbank erosion and the growing impact of climate change.

He said these issues cannot be solved overnight as they are closely linked to socio-economic factors such as population growth and rapid urbanisation. Referring to the National Disaster Management Authority’s assessment, he said completely eliminating floods in Assam is unrealistic due to the state’s geographical and hydrological conditions. Instead, the focus should be on reducing flood-related damage through scientific planning, modern technology and effective mitigation measures.

Dutta Roy further demanded that floods be declared a national disaster since they cannot be entirely prevented. He also called for urgent dredging of rivers to restore their carrying capacity. He alleged that several projects announced under the Namami Brahmaputra and Namami Barak initiatives, including river dredging and proper utilisation of water resources, have remained unimplemented. Machinery brought to Badarpur for dredging work, he claimed, is lying unused and deteriorating.

He further criticised the government’s approach to flood management, stating that embankment repairs continue to rely on temporary patchwork instead of scientific and permanent solutions.

BDF Media Cell Convener Joydeep Bhattacharjee said that most of the flood prevention measures announced for the Barak Valley after the devastating 2022 floods are yet to be implemented. He noted that despite repeated government assurances regarding the restoration of Rangir Khal and other canals, progress has remained slow. He also questioned the effectiveness of embankments reinforced with geo-bags, saying there is widespread public concern about their ability to withstand rising river levels.

The organisation urged elected representatives and the administration in the Barak Valley to treat the present flood situation in Upper Assam as a warning and immediately take preventive measures. BDF pointed out that flooding has occurred in the Barak Valley even as late as September in previous years and cautioned that any delay or negligence at this stage could have serious consequences.

The press statement was issued by Hrishikesh Dey, Convener of the BDF Media Cell.