The Eecutive Board of Directors of the World Bank has approved a $108 million loan to improve disaster preparedness and enhance flood forecasting in Assam, a state which faces serious floods almost every year.
The project will benefit around six million people and is part of a larger $500 million investment programme for Assam, the bank said in a statement.
The Assam Integrated River Basin Management Project will help the state reduce vulnerability to floods and river erosion by building green infrastructure in the Beki and Buridehing river basins, protecting around 100,000 people. The Project will also help strengthen the state’s response to disasters through improved flood forecasting and accurate early warning systems, including through mobile alerts. The Project will provide safer evacuation and shelter facilities including access to climate-resilient flood shelters to at least 10,000 people, the World Bank said in a statement. The project will also help government agencies to respond faster during crises with upgraded state and district emergency operational centers, it further said.