GUWAHATI: The Assam government is likely to conduct a survey to take stock of the encroachment along the banks of the Bharalu, the main conduit of stormwater from the city. In the last nine years, the government has collected no data on encroachment. Neither has it taken any action to revive the channel.
The Kamrup (Metro) district administration had in 2012 conducted an eviction drive along the banks of the Bharalu. "After 2012, no survey or eviction drive has taken place. We are thinking of conducting a survey and have instructed the officials concerned," said Lakhyajit Duwaria, circle officer of Guwahati revenue circle.
The city has five river channels of which Bharalu is the main channel which drains out floodwater. The capital gets inundated within minutes of rain during the monsoon.
Conservationist Hemen Lahkar said rapid encroachment along the banks of the river channels as well as the lakes is the prime reason behind Guwahati's floods and they are worsening every year.
He said the government's inaction has encouraged encroachment and as a result the size of the river has reduced drastically over the decades. "It is unfortunate that the administration does not have any data on encroachment," he added.
He said a scientific method-based survey and action to revive the channels and wetlands are the need of the hour.
AK Bhagawati, a geography professor at Gauhati University, also emphasized the revival of the river channel at the earliest to mitigate floods. "For this, the banks of the river must be made encroachment-free and the river must be widened and dredged to carry rainwater of the entire city," he added.
It is pertinent to mention that the state government has carried out eviction drives in the encroached forest lands in different parts of the state, including Dholpur in Darrang and Lumding reserve forest in Hojai district.
