Assam floods claim 117 lives in 2024, 880 in five years: Government tells Rajya Sabha

A total of 880 people, including 117 so far this year, lost their lives in Assam due to floods in the last five years, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.

According to information furnished by the Assam government, since 2019 till July 27, 2024, a total of 880 people lost their lives as a result of devastating floods in Assam, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said.

While 117 people lost their lives so far this year, 65 died in 2023, 278 in 2022, 73 in 2021, 190 in 2020 and 157 in 2019, Rai said, replying to a written question.

Meanwhile, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) and CivicDataLab (CDL) on Wednesday to enhance data-driven efforts for mitigating and adapting to the ever-increasing extreme weather conditions like floods. 

Also Read: Assam teams up with CivicDataLab for enhanced disaster mitigation strategies

This collaboration aims to improve government resource allocation for disaster risk reduction (DRR), according to an official release.

Chief Secretary Ravi Kota said Assam can become a role model for different states across the country by adopting such innovative initiatives. He emphasised the importance of data-driven decision-making, which can be applied across various state ministries and sectors to improve governance, particularly for building climate resilience.

Kota stressed the need for collaboration to ensure inclusive and effective disaster mitigation, involving all government agencies to develop a comprehensive climate mitigation strategy.