Policy Update
Ayan Bordoloi
Background
The issue of flooding is a persistent structural limitation of land, livelihood and public infrastructure in Assam. According to the Government of Assam, approximately 31.05 lakh hectares of the state’s total geographical area is prone to flood and an average of 9.31 lakh hectares is affected by flood in Assam every year (6.84 per cent of total geographical area).
This exposure is aggravated by riverbank erosion: Since 1950, land loss due to Brahmaputra and its tributaries has been about 4.27 lakh hectares with an average annual erosion rate of approximately 8,000 hectares per year. These statistics only highlight the need for a comprehensive flood management plan in Assam, one that does not just involve providing relief during floods, but also repurposing old flood defenses to create a sustainable approach.
ADB greenlighted the Climate Resilient Brahmaputra Integrated Flood and Riverbank Erosion Risk Management Project (CRBIFRERMP) in October 2023 with a $200 million loan, total project costing $255 million. The project works on the main stem of Brahmaputra and includes climate resilient infrastructure, flood forecasting, erosion modelling, asset management and support for livelihoods and livelihood sources using nature-based solutions. It will close on 31 March 2030. The initial intention of the operation was to help 1 million people and boost crop yields by more than 50,000ha.
In February 2026, ADB approved an additional financing (AF) of $182 million (with $50 million counterpart financing), and an AF project cost of $232 million. The AF adds work in four more reaches that are high priority—two already covered reaches and two more in the two remaining main reaches. It is expected to have a direct impact on approximately 600,000 rural people, especially those in vulnerable families, women and vulnerable groups, and its impact will be felt in the project’s reach-wise approach to the stabilization of the Brahmaputra.
The AF will take effect on 6 April 2026, and will have the same closing date as found in the 31 March 2030 version. This is not only on the basis of the scale of the new loan but because it sought to link knowledge of the river system with the ecological safeguards and the ability of communities to cope with the risk of flooding and erosion.
Functioning
A river-management model that is integrated
The AF includes all the activities of river protection, emergency works, adaptive works, pro-siltation works and upgrading and widening the flood embankments. It also incorporates nature-based solutions like the propagation of reeds, and rehabilitation of wetland areas. The principles are that flood and erosion control be taken care of at the river reach scale, and that each erosion location be considered as an individual construction site.
The ability to know, forecast and maintain
The project helps create flood-risk maps, asset-condition surveys, erosion-prediction models, flood forecasting and early-warning systems, maintenance planning and community disaster preparedness. Protection structures rely on information on channel movement, erosion and asset condition which is important for these functions. The initial project also focused on surveys, embankment-breach modelling, asset management and land use planning based on the risk of embankment failure.
The ability to live a decent life and social protection
The AF encompasses disaster-resilient agriculture, vocational training, enhancing rural markets and providing livelihood support to women, such as through self-help groups and youth-skills programs. Meanwhile, the project is deemed to be Category A for involuntary resettlement and Category B for Indigenous Peoples, under ADB’s classification system. The Combined Resettlement and Indigenous Peoples Plan (RIPP) offers the safeguard framework to assist with impact identification, mitigation, participation and monitoring.
Engineering + NbS
The AF combines the traditional engineering approaches with those designed to interact with river processes. Pro-siltation, reed propagation, and wetland restoration are aimed at complementing riverbank protection and embankment works. These measures are applied on a site-specific basis and are based on the environmental examination and requirements for biodiversity management.
Performance
On 28th July 2026, contract awards for the original loan (4352-IND) have reached 75 per cent of the amount of ADB financing, and disbursements have reached 47 per cent. The cumulative contract awards on the AF loan (4753-IND) totalled 54 per cent by 29 July 2026, with 0 per cent disbursed. What’s significant are the dates; the AF kicks in in April 2026 – and it’s been a period of procurement and contract mobilization since then.
The AF was in implementation, as demonstrated by its procurement record, as documented by ADB. Underwater and above water river bank protection and geo textile materials were awarded on 15 June 2026 in different districts like Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Morigaon, Goalpara, Dhubri, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath and Nagaon. These awards are performance conditional, not physical outcomes.
A formal monitoring framework was also established for the original project and environmental and social safeguard reports will be made public until 2025. Prior to approval, the AF prepared new environmental and social documents such as an Updated Initial Environmental Examination and an Updated Combined Resettlement and Indigenous Peoples Plans. Whether contracts are followed by finished work, effective protection, and prompt spending and adherence to household-level protection is the next test.
Figure 1: CRBIFRERMP financing architecture, comparing the original project and the 2026 additional financing. Source: Asian Development Bank project data for Loans 4352-IND and 4753-IND.
Impact
Flood and erosion resilience
The AF adds 63.5 kilometres of riverbank protection and includes adaptive and emergency works, pro-siltation and resilient embankment upgrades. Pro-siltation is intended to encourage sediment deposition and reclaim eroded land, while embankment strengthening addresses exposure of settlements and productive land. Because Brahmaputra channels are dynamic, the project’s combination of structural works, modelling, forecasting and maintenance planning is intended to reduce the risks associated with fragmented interventions.
Livelihoods and women’s resilience
The project treats resilience as an economic condition as well as a physical one. Floods and erosion can destroy farmland, grazing land, housing and market access, pushing households towards embankments, char areas and other exposed locations. The AF responds through disaster-resilient agriculture, vocational training, rural-market improvements and women-focused livelihood support. Its design therefore links physical protection with the ability of households to recover income and services after shocks.
Figure 2: ADB loan utilization status as of late July 2026. Source: ADB project data sheets for Loans 4352-IND (28 July 2026) and 4753-IND (29 July 2026).
Indigenous community safeguards
The AF covers 12 districts, and the project census identified 132 Scheduled Tribe households as affected persons in six districts: Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Golaghat, Morigaon, Sivasagar and Biswanath. A majority of the affected displaced persons belong to the Mising community. None of the project districts falls under the Sixth Schedule, according to ADB’s project documentation. The RIPP is intended to identify impacts, mitigation and monitoring. The Assam government’s disclosed plan records no customary land-ownership practice for tribal people in the affected intervention area, no expected impact on Indigenous Peoples’ community structures, and voluntary participation in livelihood activities.
Environmental resilience and biodiversity
ADB classifies the AF as Category B for environment and notes that several sections are within ecologically sensitive zones and key biodiversity areas. A biodiversity management plan has been prepared, with site-specific measures intended to minimize disturbance and avoid biodiversity loss. This makes environmental monitoring integral to the project’s flood-resilience objective, particularly where construction and river training can affect aquatic and wetland systems.
Figure 3: Additional financing social safeguard footprint. Source: ADB project data sheet and the Updated Combined Resettlement and Indigenous Peoples Plans.
Emerging Issues
Implementation and disbursement gap: At 29 July 2026, the AF had 54 per cent of its ADB financing represented by cumulative contract awards and 0 per cent of the cumulative disbursement. This is a preliminary implementation measure, not a final performance evaluation, and will be monitored closely as construction proceeds, but should be taken into account.
Land acquisition and displacement: Acquisition of 243.35 hectares (57.18 hectares of private land and 11.57 hectares of Eksonia land), is expected to cause physical or economic displacement of approximately 978 households in the AF. The project is Category A project for involuntary resettlement, so key implementation requirements include compensation and restoration of livelihoods, disclosure and grievance processing.
Consultation and benefit sharing that are culturally appropriate is important for indigenous peoples, as 132 households of the affected Scheduled Tribes were identified, and the majority were from the Mising community. Even if there are no Sixth Schedule areas, project engagement is still necessary. If affected households are not able to grasp entitlements, they cannot be assured of being able to join livelihood programmes on a voluntary basis, and they are unable to receive a response to their grievances, commitments will not be credible.
Ecological and river-system risks: A number of project areas contain sensitive ecological areas and areas of key biodiversity. Therefore, riverbank protection, pro-siltation and construction need to be carefully coordinated with the biodiversity plan, environmental monitoring and site-specific mitigation measures put in place.
Continuing inspection, maintenance and emergency repair of protection structures; inundation caused by rainfall, upstream flows, sediment transport and land use as well as works of the project. Reach level baseline data, as well as consistent monitoring, will be required to determine asset performance and contribution to the project.
Way Forward
Release a joint implementation dashboard: Award of contracts, disbursement, physical progress, land acquisition, compensation, livelihood restoration, actions for Indigenous Peoples, environmental monitoring and grievance redress should be reported together, which will allow for a comparison of financial progress with actual protection and safeguard delivery.
Increase visibility of safeguard performance on the 978 affected households and 132 Scheduled Tribe households identified under the AF: monitor compensation, resettlement, livelihood restoration, consultation, grievance resolution and participation – disaggregate results by gender, ST status and district if applicable.
Adopt river management that adapts to changes: Flood-risk maps, erosion-prediction models, asset surveys and early-warning systems should be built into the annual maintenance and investment decisions. Riverbank protection should be assessed in accordance with channel movement and sediment behaviour observed, and nature-based protection should be monitored for survival and functional performance.
Ensure ongoing community engagement: Keep consultations locally comprehensible and accessible during implementation. Involvement in livelihoods must remain voluntary for Indigenous communities, and there must be opportunities for them to voice issues of implementation and receive written answers.
Assess resilience in terms of outcomes by 2030: Shift assessment focus from kilometres of protection built to outcomes of reduction of exposure to erosion and flooding at targeted reaches, faster recovery of livelihoods following flooding, functioning maintenance systems, and delivery of compensation and participation commitments.
References
1. Asian Development Bank. (2026). India: Climate Resilient Brahmaputra Integrated Flood and Riverbank Erosion Risk Management Project in Assam – Additional Financing (Project 56283-002). https://www.adb.org/projects/56283-002/main
2. Asian Development Bank. (2026, February 10). ADB Approves $182 Million Loan to Scale Up Flood and Erosion Management Along Brahmaputra in Assam. https://www.adb.org/news/adb-approves-182-million-loan-scale-flood-and-erosion-management-along-brahmaputra-assam
3. Asian Development Bank. (2026, January). Climate Resilient Brahmaputra Integrated Flood and Riverbank Erosion Risk Management Project in Assam – Additional Financing: Reports and Recommendations of the President. https://www.adb.org/projects/documents/ind-56283-002-rrp
4. Asian Development Bank. (2025, December). Climate Resilient Brahmaputra Integrated Flood and Riverbank Erosion Risk Management Project in Assam – Additional Financing: Updated Combined Resettlement and Indigenous Peoples Plans. https://www.adb.org/projects/documents/ind-56283-002-remdp-0
5. Asian Development Bank. (2025, November). Climate Resilient Brahmaputra Integrated Flood and Riverbank Erosion Risk Management Project in Assam – Additional Financing: Updated Initial Environmental Examination. https://www.adb.org/projects/documents/ind-56283-002-iee-0
6. Asian Development Bank. (2026). Climate Resilient Brahmaputra Integrated Flood and Riverbank Erosion Risk Management Project in Assam (Project 56283-001): Project data and implementation status. https://www.adb.org/projects/56283-001/main
7. Asian Development Bank. (2023, October 5). ADB Approves $200 Million Loan to Strengthen Flood and Riverbank Erosion Risk Management in Assam, India. https://www.adb.org/news/adb-approves-200-million-loan-strengthen-flood-and-riverbank-erosion-risk-management-assam
8. Government of Assam, Water Resources Department. (2026). Flood & Erosion Problems. https://waterresources.assam.gov.in/portlets/flood-erosion-problems
9. Assam State Disaster Management Authority. (2025). Assam Flood Memorandum 2024. https://asdma.assam.gov.in/sites/default/files/swf_utility_folder/departments/asdma_revenue_uneecopscloud_com_oid_70/menu/document/assam_flood_memorandum_2024_.pdf
10. Flood and River Erosion Management Agency of Assam. (2026). Climate Resilient Brahmaputra Integrated Flood and Riverbank Erosion Risk Management Project: Project documents and monitoring reports. https://fremaa.assam.gov.in/documents-detail/climate-resilient-brahmaputra-integrated-flood-and-riverbank-erosion-risk
About the Contributor
Ayan Bordoloi is an intern with IMPRI, currently pursuing his master’s in political science at the University of Delhi. His research interests lie in federalism, tribal governance, and Northeast India’s political landscape.
Acknowledgements
The author extends sincere gratitude to the IMPRI team for their guidance and support, along with the reviewers Madhurita D and Samiksha Muskan for their valuable feedback and insights..
Disclaimer: All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organization.
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