Staff Reporter
Guwahati: Is Assam’s land area shrinking by a huge margin due to natural causes, primarily soil erosion? It is now a documented fact that the land mass of the state has shrunk by lakhs of hectares (ha) over the years.
This fact was revealed by the Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Kirti Vardhan Singh, on April 3, 2025, in the Rajya Sabha on the basis of the Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India-2021.
Regarding the erosion of land area, the Minister explained that soil erosion is a dynamic process caused both by natural and anthropogenic factors. There is a huge loss of land and property due to desertification and land degradation (DLD). As per the Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India-2021, published by the Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad, the total area affected by DLD in Assam during the periods 2003-2005 and 2011-2013 was reported to be 5,72,215 ha and 7,16,596 ha respectively. The significant drivers of desertification and land degradation in Assam include waterlogging, water erosion, vegetation degradation, etc.
Floods and soil erosion have been perennial issues in Assam since the 1950s. Over the years, there have been numerous calls by individuals and organizations for the flood problem in Assam to be declared a national problem.
The Government of India assists the efforts of the State Governments/UT Administrations by providing technical and financial assistance for management of flood risks in critical areas. The flood management and anti-erosion measures or interventions are formulated and implemented by the concerned state government as per priority.
In order to strengthen the structural measures towards flood management, the central Ministry of Jal Shakti provides central assistance to States and UTs to undertake works related to river management, flood control, anti-erosion measures, drainage development, etc., under the “Flood Management and Border Areas Programme” (FMBAP). A total of 142 flood management projects of the Government of Assam have been supported under the FMBAP with a central assistance of around Rs 1557 crore.
Besides, tree plantations covering an area of 46,399 ha have been taken up under different schemes, programmes and initiatives to protect the ecosystems in the state during the period 2015-2024.
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