GUWAHATI, June 24 – The State Government has teamed up with the Meghalaya Government to solve the problems of erosion and flash flood caused by the Basistha-Bahini river in the city. As a result, an inter-State committee with the officials of the Forest, Soil Conservation and Public Works Departments of the two States has been formed and the State Soil Conservation Department has been working on two projects involving the river in the city areas.
Disclosing these, J Malakar, Divisional Officer of the South Bank Soil Conservation Division, Guwahati told media men today that 80 per cent of the work had been completed under the projects worth about Rs 45.44 lakh. The Soil conservation Division is also working on a project to protect the embankment on the Dudhnoi River in Rabhapara and Bamunpara areas of Goalpara district, he said. This project is worth about Rs 24.4 lakh.
All these projects were undertaken by the Division under Flood Damage Repair (FDR) scheme and the Central Government sanctioned a fund under the calamity relief fund (CRF) worth Rs 1.95 crore, during the 2003-04 fiscal, for the FDR scheme projects, including these three, the Soil Conservation Division is implementing, he said. The Soil Conservation Department was not implementing any FDR scheme for the past about ten years, Malakar said.
Besides, for the Navagraha area of the city, the Soil conservation Division has prepared a project worth Rs 25 lakh, to solve the problem of landslide and flash flood by using the Jute GEO Textile method. Work on the project is expected to begin form the next winter, he said. The Division has been constructing about 242 running metres of boulder spur and about 1,000 running metres of earthen embankment on the Basistha-Bahini River. Under another project, the Division is undertaking bank protection measures on the river in Ganeshnagar area of the city by providing 239 running metres of boulder spur, he said.
All these have been sought to be done with an emphasis on catchment area treatment, controlling riverbank erosion and training the river course. The present approach is a significant departure from the approach adopted so far in managing the problems of flood and erosion. It has been widely acknowledged nowadays by planners, researchers and others involved in flood and erosion management that emphasis should be more on managing the floods and not on controlling the flood waters. Under this approach, people are to be taught to live with the floodwaters, Malakar said.
Commenting on the involvement of the Soil Conservation Division, he said that the Division prepared the projects after the formation of the inter-State committee and submitted the projects in February last. Kamrup (Metro) Deputy Commissioner AK Absar Hazarika has also been evincing keen interest in solving the problems caused by the river in the city and had persuaded the Division to undertake the projects. Hazarika is also in close touch with the Ribhoi district authorities in Meghalaya for implementation of a watershed management programme in the upper reaches of the river in Meghalaya. So far, the said inter-State committee has met on three occasions, Malakar said.
Under the project meant for the Navagraha area of the city, the Division has proposed to construct 126 running metres of loose boulder check dams fitted with wire netting at the vulnerable gullies for silt trapping and slope protection measures, in Kharghuli, Silpukhuri, Chandmari and Jyoti Nagar areas. Besides the project also proposes to raise an earth-filled gunny bag dam with a size of 235 running metres. The dam will be supported by bamboo pallasiding. Silt trapping measures will be mostly used in the alluvial belt of the hill, Malakar said.