Assam Asked to Prepare Detailed Feasibility Report on Flood Water Diversion

New Delhi:  The Assam government has been asked to prepare a detailed feasibility report regarding the wetlands for diverting flood water with the aim of rejuvenating wetlands and mitigating the flood problem. 

Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan has asked the Assam government to prepare a detailed feasibility report on 271 wetlands for floodwater diversion within December, a senior official said on Thursday. The project aimed at rejuvenating the wetlands and connecting them for flood water storage may cost the state exchequer to the tune of Rs 500 crore, although the final estimate on how many wetlands to be covered will be known after a survey is done, the official added.

In his two-day visit to Assam, Govind Mohan held a series of review meetings on varied topics such as law and order, border management among Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh, flood control measures and the status of various tribal councils. The North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC) had identified the wetlands and the Home Secretary was apprised of the various steps taken in this regard.

“The Water Resources Department (WRD) highlighted the importance of rejuvenating the depleted wetlands and facilitating the diversion of floodwaters for storage. In the meeting, the action taken by the department with respect to the study done by NESAC was discussed,” Assam Chief Secretary said.

The WRD identified nine wetlands in seven districts in the first phase, having potential for flood water diversion. He added, “The Union home secretary directed the WRD to carry out a detailed survey to assess the feasibility of all the 271 wetlands identified by NESAC. He asked us to prepare a concept paper on the feasibility of the wetlands by December 2024. The total project cost may go up to a maximum of Rs 500 crore. It has to be seen how many wetlands could be covered within this figure.”

He also said that Govind Mohan was apprised of the fact that through this ambitious project of connecting wetlands, the water level of Brahmaputra will not be managed but its tributaries will be taken into account. “The Brahmaputra per se will not be controlled through this project, it is not possible. We will try to control the water levels of the tributaries which flow through various villages and towns across the state. The feasibility study will check if some important tributaries can be connected with some large wetlands for this purpose,” he added.

Ravi Kota also said that the fishery department during the meeting informed Mohan about the Sustainable Wetland and Integrated Fisheries Transformation (SWIFT) project to be implemented under the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

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