Rejuvenate Bharalu River and make Guwahati city flood free

 STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Save Bharalu (Bharalu Bachao) Abhiyan has appealed to all stakeholders to rejuvenate the Bharalu River and refrain from disposing of garbage there in order to make Guwahati free from floods.

In a press meet, Save Bharalu (Bharalu Bachao) Abhiyan President Dr. Rabin Majumder said that with the consistent support of the public, the organization undertook various events since its first major campaign, on World River Day on September 26, 2021.

A team of delegations met Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in June and apprised him of the extensive public awareness programmes conducted by the organisation to revive the dying Bharalu River and urged him to take the necessary measures to restore the river.

After this, a delegation of the organization took part in one of the meetings with Guwahati Development Minister Ashok Singhal on his invitation. During the meeting, the Minister took a keen interest in addressing the issues of garbage disposal, ensuring a flood-free Guwahati, and restoring the Bharalu River.

In response to a letter submitted by Save Bharalu, the Minister accepted the recommendations proposed by the organization and directed the Commissioner of Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) to take appropriate action based on these recommendations. The main recommendations include (i) the installation of CCTV cameras to detect and penalize individuals responsible for dumping garbage in Bharalu-Bahini, other reservoirs, and sewers. Photographs of offenders would be publicized through television and newspapers; (ii) the implementation of measures to prevent sewage discharge from residences, hotels, shops, factories, apartments, etc., directly into the Bahini-Bharalu. The law should mandate the installation of individual Effluent Sewage Treatment Plants (ETPs) by these establishments, and the wastewater from large apartments should be directed into large sewers or rivers; (iii) replacing the outdated and non-functional sluice gate near the Kali Mandir at Basistha Chariali with a modern sluice gate; and (iv) the installation of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) with parallel sewerage before the Bharalu falls into the river would ensure proper treatment of the wastewater before its release.

The press meet was also attended by General Secretary of the organisation Satya Ranjan Baruah and Treasurer Dr. Manabendra Goswami.

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