Guwahati | Assam may require more than Rs 1,000 crore for repairing flood-damaged infrastructure and rehabilitating affected families, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Wednesday as the state expanded its assessment of losses in the worst-hit areas of Upper Assam.

Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, Sarma said a rapid damage assessment launched on August 9 had so far covered more than 8,000 families, with preliminary losses estimated at around Rs 150 crore. The assessment will continue until August 30 and is expected to cover between 50,000 and 60,000 families across severely affected districts in Upper Assam, he said.

“To give a permanent relief, a rapid relief assessment drive was launched on August 9. As per an initial report, over 8,000 families have been assessed and Rs 150 crore damage has been estimated,” Sarma said. Based on the preliminary findings, the state government expects the overall expenditure on damage repair and rehabilitation to exceed Rs 1,000 crore.

“I believe there will be a spending of over Rs 1,000 crore in damage repair and rehabilitation,” Sarma said, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured Assam of full support in the rehabilitation process.

The chief minister said the Prime Minister had asked the state government to carry out the assessment comprehensively and assured that there would be no shortage of funds for compensating affected families. The ongoing assessment is aimed at determining the extent of damage to houses, property and livelihoods and calculating the assistance required for affected households.

Sarma also acknowledged the role of individuals and organisations that have contributed to relief operations in flood-hit areas. He said 72 YouTubers from different parts of the country had raised funds for flood relief, with several of them already working on the ground.

“We are keeping a close watch on them whether they are spending the money for flood affected areas,” he said. Meanwhile, the state government has initiated the reconstruction of flood-damaged Anganwadi centres in Upper Assam. Sarma announced the release of Rs 11.3 crore for rebuilding 494 Anganwadi centres damaged in the floods.

“We want to restart these centres as soon as possible so that all services can be provided. Altogether 494 Anganwadi centres, which were damaged, will be rebuilt in this drive,” he said. Each damaged Anganwadi centre will receive up to Rs 2.5 lakh for restoration, he added.

The rehabilitation exercise comes as Assam continues to grapple with the impact of severe flooding that has affected multiple districts, damaged houses and public infrastructure and disrupted the livelihoods of thousands of people.

The government is now relying on the ongoing door-to-door assessment to arrive at a more comprehensive estimate of the losses and determine the scale of rehabilitation assistance required.