Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi here on Sunday said three waves of flood has devastated the state and now priority of the government is to minimise losses and mitigate the sufferings of people affected by floods.
Mr Gogoi, who was in Japan during the flood, told reporters, “The flood in the month of September was unexpected. It has not only damaged the existing infrastructure, but also the standing crops of the farmers.”
“This year has almost been a curse for the state as it faced such natural calamity,” Mr Gogoi said.
After visiting the flood-hit areas, Mr Gogoi added that landslides, storms and erosion have also added to the woes of people.
Pointing out that Japan is an expert in tackling the natural disasters, Mr Gogoi advocated engagement of international bodies and holding international seminars to help the state in tackling such disasters.
He also cited the example of Japan, which faces diverse natural disasters like earthquakes, volcanoes, and has evolved ways to tackle these with least human or property loss.
Mr Gogoi said, “I think we should go for a tieup with Japan on such issues.”
He said, “It was not possible to escape natural calamity, but we can minimise the damage.”
Pointing out that he has been advocating for setting up the Northeast Water Resources Authority, Mr Gogoi regretted that it was stalled because neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh was opposing it.
Mr Gogoi, however, informed that the Centre has proposed a Brahmaputra River Valley Authority to coordinate among north-eastern states on the affairs relating Brahamaputra.
“Not only the north-eastern states, I am supportive of including China, Bhutan and Bangladesh also in to the authority,” said Mr Gogoi while advocating the need for revisiting traditional methods of tackling the floods, like raised houses and forestation.