Assam Floods Damaged 2.03 Lakh Hectares of Cropland in Five Years: Centre

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: Floods affected 2,03,988 hectares of cropland in the past five years, from 2021 to 2025, in Assam. In 2026, floods submerged around 14,231 hectares of cropland as of August 3.

Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Ramnath Thakur informed the Lok Sabha of this today. He was replying to a question from Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi.

The minister informed the Lok Sabha that floodwaters submerged 7,100 hectares of crop area in Charaideo districts, 98 hectares in the Biswanath district, 1,108 hectares in the Dhemaji district, 1,331 hectares in the Golaghat district, 376 hectares in the Jorhat district, 670 hectares in the Lakhimpur district, and 3,546 hectares of cropland in the Sivasagar district in 2026, as of August 3.

The minister further said that floods damaged 11,015 hectares of crop areas in 2021, a crop area of 1,26,156 hectares in 2022, a crop area of 18,095 hectares in 2023, a crop area of 40,812 hectares in 2024, and 7,909 hectares of cropland in 2025 in Assam.

Union minister Thakur stated that no central database exists for tracking crop losses and farmers impacted by disasters. However, as informed by the Government of Assam, the state has undertaken an assessment of the damage caused to standing crops due to the recent floods. The State Government reports and monitors crop submergence through the Disaster Reporting and Information Management Portal (DRIMS).

The minister said, "As per the National Policy on Disaster Management (NPDM), the State Government is primarily responsible for providing necessary relief measures on the ground in the wake of notified calamities. The State Government undertakes relief measures in the wake of natural calamities from funds available in the form of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) in accordance with the Government of India-approved items and norms. Additional financial assistance, over and above SDRF, is considered from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), as per the laid-down procedure, in case of a disaster of 'severe nature', which includes an assessment based on the visit of an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) and a memorandum submitted by the State Government for financial assistance from the NDRF. The financial assistance provided under SDRF and NDRF is by way of relief and not for compensation of losses suffered/claimed."

Gaurav Gogoi wanted to know whether the government has taken note of the damage caused to crops due to the recent floods in Assam and if so, the details thereof.

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