Hope for erosion mitigation and resettlement

The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) granting approval to the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for resettlement of people affected by erosion for submission to the central government is a major step towards addressing a pressing issue. The central government sanctioning the required amount of Rs 526 crore will allow the state government to initiate the project work for resettlement of a large number of erosion-hit people. Strengthening anti-erosion measures in the state is crucial to prevent the financial burden of resettlement of erosion-hit people from rising. Erosion caused by the River Brahmaputra and its tributaries results in the loss of livelihood due to loss of farmland and often leads to displacement of people due to loss of homestead land when riverbank erosion continues unabated. Assam has been grappling with the problem of erosion ever since the great earthquake exacerbated the problem by changing the navigation channels of the Brahmaputra. While resettlement is a reactive measure, stopping erosion is a proactive and preventive measure that requires massive funding. The erosion problem compounded over the decades as erosion was not included in the list of natural calamities for funding from the National Disaster Response Fund. The 15th Finance Commission recognising it as a serious problem brought erosion to the centre stage of disaster funding. The commission noted that coastal and river erosion can have serious adverse socio-economic consequences and favoured mitigation measures to prevent erosion with funding support under the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) and resettlement of displaced people affected by erosion under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). The Finance Commission recommended an allocation of Rs. 1,500 crore from NDMF for the award period from 2021-22 to 2025-26 and Rs. 1,000 crore from NDRF for the resettlement of displaced people affected by erosion. The ASDMA approved cluster housing under the project that includes construction of houses, water supply, individual household latrine, individual solar power supply system for streetlights on campus, community hall and waste management. The resettlement areas being well protected from flood and erosion risk is essential to prevent wasteful expenditure of the NDRF fund for the project. Implementation of the resettlement project in isolation and without addressing the larger twin problem of flood and erosion is not a sustainable approach. Unfortunately, solutions to the twin problem have been piecemeal, due to which the problems have only compounded with the rise in population and on account of the rise in extreme weather due to climate change. Reducing the volume of Brahmaputra water flow during flood season can significantly reduce the intensity of floods and reduce water pressure on the riverbank. Simultaneous implementation of another project for restoration and rejuvenation of 16 wetlands of Assam to enhance water retention capacity and mitigate risk of flooding and erosion, the DPR of which has also been approved by ASDMA for submission to the central government, will be critical to achieve the desired objective of the resettlement project. The ASDMA has approved the DPR of this project for Rs 634 crore to be released under NDMF. This project has been articulated based on the strategy to enhance wetlands’ natural capacity to buffer floods by improving hydrology and increasing water storage. The project will also help improve the ecological and hydrological functionality of wetlands. The impact of about 3000 Amrit Sarovars completed in the state for improving groundwater recharge and mitigating water scarcity in flood moderation will be known in the next flood season. Rejuvenation of wetlands will also create new livelihood avenues by increasing water availability for farming and livestock rearing in catchment areas, fishing and ecotourism activities. Implementation of sanctioned projects in a time-bound manner needs a strong administrative push. Lessons must be learnt from poor implementation of many flood and erosion mitigation projects which result in cost and time overruns. Building capacity for better implementation requires improvement in work culture in government offices concerned apart from capacity of the project implementing authorities to hire and deploy better machinery and equipment for modern engineered solutions for fast-tracking execution. Monitoring and evaluation play a crucial role in better project management and can prevent undue delay in fund utilisation and timely submission of utilisation certificates. Long delays in the submission of utilisation certificates leading to a delay in the release of subsequent instalments of sanctioned and approved project funds have been a serious problem in several government departments and need urgent attention for necessary administrative reforms. Natural calamities pose tough challenges, but solutions have been found to address the problems. When funds are not a major constraint, delays in the implementation of solutions on account of delays in DPR preparation and departments concerned lacking capacity to utilise funds judiciously and in a time-bound manner are not acceptable, whatever may be the excuse. The central government expeditiously releasing the required funds for both the projects and ASDMA ensuring timely execution will go a long way in addressing the erosion problem.