Guwahati, Sep 10: Memories of the devastating flood back in June this year are still afresh in the minds of the people of Silchar and the Barak Valley at large. In a bid to find a plausible and pragmatic solution to tackle the menace of flood in Cachar district, the Assam University Silchar, along with the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) Cachar, jointly organised a day-long discourse on "Urban Deluge."
The recently held discourse held at the Department of Ecology and Environmental Science of the varsity saw participation from academicians, scholars, officials from various Government departments including SDRF, NDRF and even some commoners with field studies shedding light on the core issues which need to be addressed to put a check on the deluge in the coming days.
Prof Parthankar Choudhury, Dean, EP Odum School of Ecology and Environment Science informed that a list of resolutions, both long-term and short-term has been sieved out which would be forwarded to the Government.
The long term measures which were recommended include-formation of an expert team with river engineer, Civil Engineer, Environmental engineer and experts from all relevant field to make a feasibility study for construction of a new river canal from Sonabarighat to Panchgram area and initiation of dialogue with the neighbouring country Bangladesh and Indo-Bangladesh collaboration need to be established for river dredging.
While a few short-term measures like the merger of the civil and mechanical wings of the Water Resources Division for construction and maintenance of the sluice gates, making the drainage system free flowing with maintenance of proper contour and free from disposable or non-disposable garbage, conservation of designated areas marked as wetlands or natural sinks, and all sorts of anthropogenic activities should be prevented.
The mushrooming of the market encourages garbage, including non-degradable waste generation, which should be checked, strengthening of all river embankments and raising the height of dykes should be done at all vulnerable places. Further, steps should be taken to prevent riverbank erosion, concrete wall for Rangirkhal, Singirkhal and Longaikhal need to be constructed.
"Besides the role of teaching and learning, the university community has something additional to contribute to the society as well. Keeping this in the backdrop, we held a preliminary discussion with the DDMA authorities and we received wholehearted support for which we could organize the discourse. There were significant presentations and the resolutions will be sent to the government to mitigate the menace of flood in the coming days," Prof. Choudhury said.
Later, while talking to The Assam Tribune, Prof Choudhury informed that Prof Rajive Mohan Pant, vice-chancellor of the varsity has handed over the recommendations drawn from the discourse to the State Government and also to Honourable Governor Prof Jagdish Mukhi and the latter has expressed satisfaction to know that a discourse on such an important issue was organised at the university.
Earlier, speaking on the occasion, Prof Rajive Mohan Pant, vice-chancellor of the varsity, said that the overemphasis on materialism has crossed all limits. "There is a saying that if we are planning for 100 years, educating people is required. This is what we are going to do.
The wounds caused by recent floods across Barak Valley, and Silchar in particular is fresh which is why we have assembled here to start thinking in the direction as to how we can negotiate with such menace. We must wake up to this reality as the whole world is acting on the ways on the sustainable development goals and Nature has to be taken into consideration for the long term and short time goals," Prof Pant said.
Joint Secretary JR Lalsim and Prof Rajat Gupta, former director NIT Silchar also appreciated the steps taken towards mitigating the perennial problem or urban flooding. ADC and CEO of DDMA Yubaraj Borthakur and Shamim Ahmed Laskar, the Project Officer DDMA Cachar also attended the discussion. Laskar informed that a committee is working on the flood mitigation ways in the district.
While the participants in the discourse felt that factors like climate resilient systems is the need of the hour, Dr Rajiv Gupta, the convener of the Pre-DPR Study Group on Urban Flood Mitigation, is working on the issue from three dimensions viz. structural mitigation, technical and environmental aspect, and human aspects.