Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: The Deepor Beel Suraksha Mancha (DBSM) and people owning arable lands around the Ramsar Site condemned the GMC (Guwahati Municipal Corporation) for its failure to find a solution to the problem of dumping waste there. The people residing in the areas around Deepor Beel are the worst sufferers because of toxic pollution due to dumping waste, especially plastic materials and chemicals from factories.
Bokul Sarma, one of the residents of the area, said, "The pollution level in Deepor Beel is very high now. The arable lands around the beels have also been badly affected by the increasing pollution. During floods and waterlogging, plastic and other materials come to the catchment areas. Feeding on them, our livestock have started suffering from various diseases."
Another villager of the locality said, "From time to time, we hold discussions on the problems among ourselves. We are in touch with environmentalists. There are people who are working for the improvement of ecology in the area. We keep suggesting the government and its various agencies take some tangible projects."
He further said, "Deepor Beel is known for visits by winged visitors, i.e., migratory birds from far-off places and countries of the globe. It is an attractive destination for tourists, including ornithologists and bird watchers. If the government implements projects that can woo tourists, especially ornithologists and bird watchers, it will accrue more profits than dumping waste there."
A section of the villagers are a fed-up lot as the problem of garbage continues to linger because of the lackadaisical attitude of the government agencies concerned. Yet they are hoping against hopes and suggesting measures to the government to get rid of the problem.
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