ADB to Invest $200 Million in Flood and Riverbank Erosion Risk Management in Assam India

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a U.S. $200 million loan for flood and riverbank erosion risk management in Assam, India, along the main channel of the Brahmaputra River. The new loan effectively extends the work of the Assam Integrated Flood and Riverbank Erosion Risk Management Investment Program (AIFRERMIP) which has been in operation since 2010, financed by the ADB. The programme has in the past focused on the improvement of key infrastructure for flood and erosion management such as the improvement and rehabilitation of embankments, other forms of riverbank protection and the execution of flood proofing works in high priority areas.

In the next phase, the investments in flood and riverbank erosion risk management will continue by enabling the stabilization of some 60 km of riverbanks and installing 32 km of siltation measures. In addition, it will contribute to employment generation and the protection of communities by building 4 km of climate-resilient flood embankments in five high-priority districts (Dibrugarh, Goalpara , Kamrup Rural, Morigaon, and Tinsukia). The investments will also go towards advancing the region’s flood forecasting and warning systems, including by means of a range of tools including surveys, modeling the behaviour of the embankment, managing existing assets, and conducting flood risk mapping.

Riverbank erosion is a major source of risk along the lower Brahmaputra River, causing the erosion of productive lands and the loss of productive infrastructure. In many instances livelihoods have been affected and people have been internally displaced by flooding.