3

Zone A
High vulnerability to floods- 50-75% flood hazard area and likelihood of flood inunda on for more than
24 hours almost every year. Marigaon, Nalbari and Darang are most vulnerable, Medium vulnerability
to cyclonic storms, and mostly low vulnerability to river bank erosion. This zone lies en rely in the
alluvial plains of the Brahmaputra valley, with the average eleva on in the range of 25m-50m. There
is negligible forest cover in this zone.

Zone B
High vulnerability to floods- 50-75% flood hazard area and likelihood of flood inunda on for more
than 24 hours almost every year, Medium to high vulnerability to cyclonic storms, Medium to
high vulnerability to river bank erosion. Housing in the river island areas such as Majuli are highly
vulnerable to river bank erosion,high incidence of post flood silt deposi on. This zone lies en rely in
the alluvial plains of the Brahmaputra valley, with the average eleva on in the range of 75m-125m.
There is negligible forest cover in this zone

Zone C
Low vulnerability to flooding and erosion, medium to high vulnerability to cyclonic wind storms, High
vulnerability to landslides .This zone has the highest forest cover in the state, with more than 3/4th of
the zone covered with a mix of moist semi-evergreen, mixed deciduous and bamboo forests. Access
to bricks for house construc on is difficult in the zone.

Zone D
Majority of the zone has low to medium vulnerability to flooding. Most areas in the zone face threat
of severe floods once in about 10 years. High vulnerability to the northern part of the zone to flash
ZONE A
floods in rivers flowing from Bhutan. High vulnerability to cyclonic wind storms with wind speeds
ZONE B reaching above 50 m/s in large parts of the zone. High vulnerability to river bank erosion and loss
ZONE C of land to erosion – this happens in Char areas are present in many parts of the zone Goalpara,
ZONE D Kamrup, Darrang, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Tinsukia. This is a predominantly plain zone with the average
ZONE E eleva on of 25-50 metres for the most part. The northern part of the zone has pockets of higher
eleva on of 125-150m. Bricks are easily available in most parts of the zone.

A ssam contains three physiographic divisions (out of the six in India)- The Northern Himalayas (Eastern
Hills), The Northern Plains (Brahmaputra plain) and Deccan Plateau (Karbi Anglong). Plains in the 20-120
metre eleva on range occupy most of the upper and lower Assam valley , covering almost 72% of the
state’s total area and cons tu ng the most flood prone regions of Assam.
The chief criteria for these designs are the geographical constraints – namely plains, hilly areas and flood
affected areas – and consequently, the availability of building materials for house construc on. One
important criterion which must be considered is the cultural preferences of people in different parts of
the state and, as a result, the variety of spa al designs of houses. This factor has tradi onally not been
taken into account by the proposed type designs for PMAY-G houses.
Zone E
Low vulnerability to floods – about 25% of the zone area is vulnerable to floods with a frequency
of about 1 or 2 floods in 10 years. High vulnerability to cyclonic wind storms due to proximity to
the Bay of Bengal. Predominantly plains and wetlands with an eleva on of 25-50m, interspersed
with hills. Karimganj has about 30% forest area Bricks, sand, aggregate are easily available in most
parts of the zone. The zone is rich in bamboo- with a good stock of species suitable for good quality
bamboo construc on.

The following three have been iden fied as the main criteria for design of PMAY-G houses for Assam and
the state has been divided in to five housing zones –
1. Vulnerability to natural hazards
2. Physiography and access to building materials
3. Cultural Compa bility A S S AM