GUWAHATI: A proposal to divert rain water entering the periphery areas of the city from Meghalaya via a channel linked to the Brahmaputra has been submitted to the Assam government.
The move comes in the wake of a survey of flood-prone areas by a high-level team led by principal secretary of Guwahati development department, Maninder Singh on Saturday. The survey covered areas such as Khanapara, Juripar, VIP Road, Satgaon, Narengi and Bonda.
“During the course of the survey, I had proposed that a 40-foot wide channel connecting Ganesh Mandir in Khanapara to Bondajan via Baghorbari be constructed to divert water flowing downhill from Meghalaya during the monsoon season,” Dhruba Jyoti Hazarika, circle officer, Dispur, told The Shillong Times on Sunday.
The objective of the proposed project is to relieve the periphery areas of the city (Khanapara, VIP Road and Juripar) from the onslaught of flash floods caused by water gushing down from the hills of Meghalaya.
“The city bears the brunt of flash floods in areas such as Khanapara and Juripar affecting residents. A heavy downpour invariably causes rain water to gush downhill from Meghalaya, affecting the periphery areas of the city before settling in Silsako Beel (wetland),” Hazarika said.
It may be noted that areas in and around Jorabat near the inter-state border get inundated after a smart shower, causing immense problems to commuters.
The aerial distance of the channel from Ganesh Mandir point to Bondajan would be approximately 5km or even more.
He further said inland navigation could also be a possibility and a proposal to the inland water transport department could also be submitted.
“People from Khanapara can avail of hassle-free transport service by directly commuting through the channel to areas such as Narengi and Chandrapur without having to cope with peak-hour traffic snarls in areas such as VIP Road and Juripar,” Hazarika said.
Meanwhile, GDD principal secretary, reviewed the flood mitigation work undertaken by various departments and directed the departments concerned to carry out desiltation, excavation and cleaning activities of all the natural water channels in and around Guwahati.
Top officials from Kamrup Metro, Guwahati Municipal Corporation, Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority, District Disaster Management Authority and National Highways Authority of India were part of the survey team.
A joint inspection involving the all the departments concerned in regard to the feasibility of the water channel project has also been proposed.