Guwahati, Aug 24: Due to lack of proper strategy, the Mission Flood Free Guwahati is yet to fetch the expected result in Juripar, Panjabari area of the city, where siltation caused by the water coming from Meghalaya is resulting in artificial flood.
During monsoon, the area gets inundated due to water overflowing from the stream, which carries water from the hills of Meghalaya to Silsako Beel, thereby causing immense problem to more than 300 households of ward no 59 and 60 of Guwahati Municipal Corporation. Notably, due to unplanned construction works the natural water stream has turned into a small drain in the area. When this correspondent visited the area this morning, it came to notice that the water stream is in over flooded condition and it can inundate the area even following a passing shower.
According to locals, the problem turns critical in recent times with the decrease of depth of the water stream due to the overflow of silt from Meghalaya. The flow of silt to the stream has increased in recent years due to the rise of unregulated construction works in the neighbouring State.
“Rainfall in both Guwahati and Meghalaya cause artificial flood in Juripar area. As a result, sometime we even experience artificial flood without any rainfall in our locality. The silt coming carried by waters from Meghalaya is the main cause behind the problem. At the same time, as part of the initiative to control artificial flood, the Guwahati Municipal Corporation has diverted waters from neighboring areas to the water stream, which make the situation worse,” Dr Gopal Chandra Medhi, noted educationist and a resident of the area told The Assam Tribune.
According to Dr Medhi, the artificial flood problem in the area started in 2004 and since then the issue turned critical day by day. “The only way to mitigate the artificial flood problem in Juripar area is diversion of the water coming from Meghalaya to Deepor Beel. Similarly, GMC can also use other drainage located in Panjabari, Sixmile and Satgaon areas to divert the excess water to Silsako Beel. Simultaneously, regular desiltation of the water stream is also necessary,” he said.
Gopal Chandra Das, another resident of the area, stated that the water logging problem in Juripar has turned critical in the last four years, due to lack ofb proper desiltation works and increase of silt flow from Meghalaya.
“Recently, we came to know that the Public Works department has prepared a project to construct a drain-cum-road in Juripar to mitigate the water logging problem. But till date, we have not seen any execution of the same. If the department executes the project, then it will be very effective in the area,” Das said.
