Kamini Das, rendered homeless by floods, awaits relief in Kasaruwa village, near Guwahati, on Saturday. (AP)

Guwahati, Sept. 6: Assam is looking to IIT Guwahati for a solution to the destruction and losses incurred because of floods every year.

Chief minister Tarun Gogoi today said Dispur has asked the institute to come up with a plan to mitigate the state’s flood woes and to provide an estimate of the expenditure likely to be incurred while executing the plan.

“I have requested the director of IIT Guwahati, Gautam Barua, to submit a proposal on how to solve the twin problems of floods and erosion on our own, without relying on the Centre’s masterplan. Necessary funds will be provided to the institute to carry out the mission,” the chief minister said on a day when the All Assam Students Union (AASU) questioned his seriousness in highlighting the flood problem before the Centre.

Gogoi said a special plan was necessary to tackle the perennial problem, as it had been proved that embankments were not an effective way of controlling floods and erosion if the undercurrent of the river was strong and if it changed course frequently.

“In cases of rivers, which are unstable with heavy siltation, leading to a rise in the riverbed, the embankments have turned out to be counter-productive,” Gogoi said.

No deadline has been fixed for the institute to submit its plan.

According to government estimates, around 20.68 lakh people in 2,424 villages spread across 14 districts have been affected by the floods, which have killed 23 people this year.

Gogoi said Rs 1 lakh would be given to the next of kin of those killed in the floods. The government will also give Rs 6,000 per hectare to farmers whose lands were covered by silt, Rs 6,000 to affected fishery owners, Rs 15,000 per hectare to those who have lost all their land to erosion, Rs 25,000 to those who lost their pucca houses, Rs 10,000 to those who lost their kuccha houses and Rs 10,000 for the loss of cattle.

Meanwhile, heavy rain in the past 12 hours have created flash floods in Lower Assam, including Kokrajhar town, forcing many schools to close down and people to abandon their inundated houses.

One hog deer was run over on National Highway 37 while escaping from the floodwaters near Kaziranga National Park on Friday.

In Chirang district, floodwaters of the Aie River have caused heavy erosion and are posing a serious threat to Bengtol town, and its adjoining areas, including the Bongaigaon Refinery and Petroleum Limited (BRPL) in Dhaliagon.