ADB approves $182 mn additional funding for Assam flood management project
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved $182 million in additional funding to scale up a ongoing flood and erosion management project along the Brahmaputra river in Assam. The project is aimed at strengthening Assam’s resilience to chronic flooding and severe riverbank erosion along the Brahmaputra.
The funding supplements the ongoing $200 million ADB-supported Climate Resilient Brahmaputra Integrated Flood and Riverbank Erosion Risk Management Project in Assam, which was approved in October 2023. The project introduced a holistic, risk-informed approach to tackling longstanding flood and erosion problems that have contributed to rural poverty, loss of livelihoods, and recurring displacement across the state, said an official statement.
“This additional financing will help Assam advance its goals of becoming a disaster-resilient state, mitigating riverbank erosion and flooding, and protecting high-risk communities along the Brahmaputra River in Assam”, ADB Country Director for India Mio Oka said.
The funding from the Manila-based multilateral development bank will extend integrated flood and riverbank erosion risk management measures into four additional high-priority reaches of the Brahmaputra River. It is expected to directly benefit about 600,000 rural residents, particularly poor households, women, and other disadvantaged groups.
Under the expanded scope, the project will construct 63.5 kilometers of riverbank protection, undertake adaptive and emergency works to strengthen existing structures, and install pro-siltation measures to promote sediment deposition and reclaim eroded land. Disaster-resilient flood embankments will be upgraded and widened, while nature-based solutions, such as reed propagation and wetland restoration, will be implemented to reduce erosion and flooding and improve ecological resilience.
The financing will enhance knowledge-based river management through flood risk maps, asset condition surveys, erosion prediction models, flood forecasting and early warning systems, maintenance planning, and community disaster preparedness programs. These efforts will further help Assam adopt long-term, hazard resilient river stabilization strategies.
It will also strengthen the livelihoods and resilience of vulnerable riverine communities through women-focused livelihood support, disaster-resilient agriculture, vocational training, and upgraded rural markets. Women’s economic empowerment remains a central feature of the project, providing targeted assistance for self-help groups, youth skills development, and market-driven business planning, said the statement.
