Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Gaurav Gogoi is demanding answers from state officials. He claims the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) ignored crucial satellite data. This failure left residents in three Upper Assam districts without warnings during recent floods. Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh confirmed in a Lok Sabha reply on August 5 that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) provides near real-time flood monitoring for the Brahmaputra basin. Data reaches the ASDMA within five to six hours of acquisition.
ISRO uses high-resolution satellites including EOS-04 (RISAT-1A), Resourcesat-2/2A, Cartosat-2E, and Cartosat-3 to track water levels. These tools generated 45 flood maps in 2025 and 33 maps for the 2026 season through July 28. The datasets are hosted on the National Database for Emergency Management and Bhuvan portals. Despite this tech, the state response remains under fire. Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, and Charaideo suffered damage during flash floods on July 19.
Gogoi took to social media to highlight the gap between data availability and public safety. "The Government has confirmed, in response to my question, that ISRO provides near-real-time flood monitoring for the Brahmaputra basin, with flood data reaching ASDMA within 5-6 hours. Yet, the District Commissioner of Sivasagar has stated that the district had barely three hours to respond to the flash floods of July 19, with no prior warning issued. The Government must explain why available flood monitoring data did not result in timely alerts and preparedness on the ground," Gogoi wrote on X.
The lack of early alerts prevented thousands from moving livestock or household goods to safety. Gogoi insists the ASDMA failed to pass these maps to local authorities. He wants to know why state-level delays stalled the warning system. The government claims it uses semi-automated mapping and reports to improve local response. Gogoi remains unconvinced by these internal processes.
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