Guwahati, Jul 23 (IANS): Amid flood havoc, the Centre has announced to provide Rs 346 crore under the Flood Management Programme (FMP) in Assam, officials said here on Wednesday.

An Assam government official said that during a video conference, Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Sekhawat promised Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal that the first instalment under FMP of Rs 346 crore would be released to the state soon. Sonowal apprised Sekhawat about the massive devastation caused by over a month long flood along with erosion in the state and various steps taken by the state government to deal with the situation.

The central minister requested the Chief Minister to send proposals for sanctioning money under Disaster Risk Management Fund which would facilitate the state government to get more funds from the Central Government for flood management, relief, erosion and other mitigation.

The Chief Minister also urged the Union Minister to allocate sufficient funds to the state government to strengthen 5,000 km of embankments built since 1951 in the state, which also turned into road cum embankments.

Responding to the Assam Chief Minister's request, Sekhawat assured Sonowal that the Central Government would soon hold discussions with the Bhutan Government about the floodwaters from the neighbouring country inundating a large area in northern Assam every year.

The Union Jal Shakti Minister also stressed on the need to adopt latest technologies in flood management and promised to extend all help and support from his ministry in finding permanent solutions to the problems of flood and erosion in Assam.

The on going month-long monsoon flood in Assam has killed at least 89 people, while around 26.32 lakh people of over 2,525 villages in 26 of the 33 districts were affected.

The flood also badly damaged 115,515 hectares of crop area and infrastructures across the state.