Assam faces worst drought in decades, Govt busy with politics: AJP chief slams irrigation failure, Rs 1,286 cr ‘vanishing act’

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJuly 15, 2025

As 21 districts in Assam reel under drought-like conditions, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president Lurinjyoti Gogoi has launched a scathing attack on the state government, accusing it of sleeping through a looming agrarian disaster while chasing political narratives and communal agendas.

Addressing a press conference in Dibrugarh on Sunday, Gogoi said that Assam is witnessing one of its most severe monsoon failures in recent memory. With large swathes of the state facing intense heat and rainfall deficits ranging from 60 to 90 per cent, he warned that a full-scale drought is unfolding, and farmers are staring at a crisis that could cripple the rural economy.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), 21 districts, including Jorhat, Golaghat, Tinsukia, Sonitpur, Nagaon, Morigaon, Sivasagar, Kamrup (Rural & Metro), and Karbi Anglong, have recorded drastic rainfall shortfalls in June and July. If significant rainfall doesn’t arrive in the next 15–20 days, Gogoi warned, farmers will miss the critical paddy transplantation window—jeopardizing key rice varieties like Ranjit, Bahadur, and Aijung.

“This is no longer just a seasonal variation,” said Gogoi. “It’s the result of years of environmental degradation, policy paralysis, and administrative apathy.”

Gogoi slammed the government’s complete failure to deliver irrigation, calling the state’s irrigation department a “white elephant.” Established in 1974 with the promise to bring water to every inch of farmland, the department has failed to irrigate even 10 per cent of Assam’s 34.94 lakh hectares of cultivable land.

Of the department’s 3,919 irrigation schemes, more than 1,500 are non-functional, according to Gogoi. Meanwhile, confusion reigns over actual irrigation coverage. While Irrigation Minister Ashok Singhal told the Assembly in February that only 14 per cent of farmland is irrigated, the department’s own report pegs it at 21.54 per cent. The BJP’s 2016–25 Vision Document had admitted that 96 per cent of land lacked irrigation and promised 100 per cent coverage within a decade—a goal that remains nowhere in sight.

Despite these gaping failures, the state government has already spent Rs 1,286 crore on the irrigation department in FY 2024–25 alone. Gogoi questioned where that money had gone and called for a financial audit. He also raised concerns over the Rs 36,406 crore irrigation master plan announced by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in 2022, which promised full irrigation coverage by 2027. “Much like the Jal Jeevan Mission, this too seems to be headed toward bureaucratic black holes and eventual collapse,” he said.

Comparing Assam’s performance with other states, Gogoi pointed out that Punjab irrigates 98.1% of its agricultural land, Haryana 87.6%, and Andhra Pradesh 63.9%, while Assam languishes at 22nd place nationally in irrigation development.

“The farmers of Assam are being hung out to dry—literally,” Gogoi said. “Instead of dealing with a drought that threatens livelihoods, the Chief Minister is focused on cow politics, communal narratives, and eviction drives. This is a state of neglect wrapped in propaganda.”

He added that if the current trend continues, Assam could face a massive drop in agricultural output, worsening food insecurity and rural distress. “This isn’t just about cracked fields and failed crops. This is about the systemic betrayal of Assam’s farmers and the people who grow our food,” he said.

Gogoi concluded by demanding immediate action, including emergency relief for farmers, transparency in irrigation spending, and an overhaul of the irrigation department. “This drought is not just a natural calamity,” he said. “It is a man-made disaster, driven by decades of neglect and false promises.”