ADB Approves $182 Million Boost to Strengthen Assam’s Flood Resilience

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved $182 million in additional financing to expand flood and riverbank erosion protection along Assam's Brahmaputra River, strengthening resilience for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable rural residents.

The funding will scale up the Climate Resilient Brahmaputra Integrated Flood and Riverbank Erosion Risk Management Project, an ADB-supported initiative designed to tackle chronic flooding and severe erosion that have long driven poverty, displacement and livelihood losses across the state.

The original $200 million project was approved in October 2023, introducing a holistic, risk-informed approach to managing Assam's persistent river hazards.

Protecting High-Risk Communities Along the Brahmaputra

ADB Country Director for India Mio Oka said the additional financing will accelerate Assam's disaster resilience ambitions.

"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," she said.

The expanded programme will extend integrated flood and erosion risk management measures into four additional high-priority reaches of the river.

The investment is expected to directly benefit around 600,000 rural residents, with particular focus on:

• poor households

• women

• disadvantaged and flood-prone communities

Major Riverbank Protection and Emergency Works

Under the expanded scope, the project will deliver large-scale protective infrastructure and adaptive measures, including:

• 63.5 kilometres of new riverbank protection

• adaptive and emergency works to strengthen existing structures

• pro-siltation measures to promote sediment deposition and reclaim eroded land

• upgraded and widened disaster-resilient flood embankments

These interventions aim to reduce recurring damage from erosion and flooding while supporting long-term river stabilization.

Nature-Based Solutions to Improve Ecological Resilience

In addition to engineered structures, the project will incorporate nature-based approaches to strengthen environmental resilience, including:

• reed propagation

• wetland restoration

ADB said these solutions will help reduce erosion impacts, improve flood absorption and enhance ecosystem health along the Brahmaputra's vulnerable riverbanks.

Modernising Flood Forecasting and River Management

The financing will also enhance knowledge-based river management systems, helping Assam adopt long-term, hazard-resilient strategies through:

• flood risk mapping

• asset condition surveys

• erosion prediction models

• improved flood forecasting and early warning systems

• maintenance planning frameworks

• community disaster preparedness programmes

These tools are designed to shift Assam from reactive disaster response toward proactive risk reduction.

Livelihood Support and Women's Economic Empowerment

Beyond infrastructure, the project will strengthen livelihoods and community resilience through:

• women-focused livelihood support

• disaster-resilient agriculture initiatives

• vocational training for youth

• upgraded rural markets

Women's empowerment remains a central pillar of the programme, with targeted assistance for self-help groups, market-driven business planning and skills development.

Long-Term Climate and Disaster Resilience for Assam

ADB officials say the additional $182 million financing represents a major step forward in protecting communities along one of South Asia's most dynamic and flood-prone river systems.

By combining structural protection, nature-based solutions, modern forecasting tools and inclusive livelihood support, the expanded project aims to deliver lasting resilience for Assam's riverine communities.