SHILLONG: The plain belt of Garo Hills often have to bear the brunt of floods and a population of not less than 2 lakh are affected every year due to the nature’s wrath.
Because of the yearly problem which throws life out of gear in Garo Hills, the residents of the area now want the Meghalaya Government to construct a 12 kilometer embankment in the belt which would save the area from flood fury every year.
Phulbari MLA, SG Esmatur Mominin while speaking to media persons here said that the water had receded following the floods which hit the area last month in which many houses were damaged.
He informed that he had asked the Chief Minister ,Home Minister and Revenue and Disaster Management Minister for supply of utensil items to the affected people as utensils of many people were washed away and the District Administrations have been directed to take necessary action in this regard.
Lamenting that huge volume of crops were damaged in the floods, he added a permanent solution wad needed to save the plain belt from the fury of flood every year, which is the construction of embankment cum road in the area.
“If these embankments are constructed there ,water from Brahmaputra river would not be able to enter the plain belt areas,” he said .
Stating that a protection of Phulbari embankment was constructed way back in the year 1997 by the former Minister MI Sarkar, he added that if the initiative was not taken, the entire Phulbari town would have been washed away by now.
He said that the embankment was not protecting only the Phulbari bazar and now there was a need to construct at least 12 km long embankment cum road from Phulbari till Rajabala via Nidanpur for protecting the plain belt from floods which has become a regular affair.