STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: People of Guwahati have always had a bitter experience of artificial flooding. Even a short spell of rain is enough to cause flooding in areas like Hatigaon, Rukminigaon, Tarun Nagar, Nabin Nagar etc. The government is now determined to solve the problem of artificial flooding in the city, and for this, it has decided to clear all encroachments on both sides of the Bharalu, Basistha and Bahini rivers before the next monsoon season. Besides this, some other steps will also be taken. The government this time has laid stress on effective engineering solutions to mitigate the flash flood problem.
In a meeting with various stakeholders like the district administration, the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) and the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday directed them to take prompt action to make Guwahati flood-free.
Some of the reasons for the artificial flooding in the city are rapid encroachment due to which the river channels have shrunk in size, the rise of riverbeds due to siltation and the dumping of garbage in the drains and river channels due to which the drains get clogged when it rains.
The Chief Minister has issued instructions that all pumping stations that flush out water from the city will be revamped, and if required more pumping stations will be set up. He underscored the need to immediately implement the Bharalu widening project. De-siltation of water-carrying river channels and drains will be done on a war footing and garbage bins will be provided in various places of the city so that people do not dump their garbage in the drains and river channels.
Meanwhile, to ensure adequate coordination and monitoring of de-silting and other activities undertaken by the GMC, six IAS officers have been attached to GMC as Guardian Officers for a division of GMC, in addition to their existing duties. They are Adil Khan, Manvendra Pratap Singh, Ghanshyam Das, Oinam Saran Singh, Anbamuthan MP and Bikram Kairi.
The Bahini-Bharalu River originates in Meghalaya and flows through areas like Basistha, Rukminigaon, Down Town, Ganeshguri, Zoo Road and Bharalumukh before falling into the Brahmaputra. Due to encroachment in areas like Ganeshguri and Bharalumukh, the water-carrying capacity of the river has decreased.
Similarly, the river stream which orginates at Nine-Mile in Meghalaya becomes the rivulet Juri when it flows through Juripar on the Panjabari Road. Due to rapid construction in the area, the rivulet has narrowed and shrunk in size.
A retired engineer opined that one of the main reasons for the problem of artificial flooding in the city is the unscientific drainage system in the city. "Different departments construct drains but there is no definite plan where these drains will discharge the water. As a result, most of the drains are clogged even during the dry winter season. In the name of drain de-siltation, funds are misutilized. A case in point is the GMC de-siltation scam which came to light recently," he said.
He added, "The need of the hour is that an umbrella agency should come up with a master plan for proper and scientific construction of drains in the city. Unless that happens, funds will be wasted in the name of cleaning the drainage system but the problem of flash floods will continue to plague the city."
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