BISWANATH CHARIALI, Sept 27 - Chatrang, a small river that flows down the hills of Arunachal Pradesh and passes through the heart of the Gohpur town in Biswanath district has been creating havoc for the last couple of years in and around the town causing much inconvenience to the people. The river has already caused heavy losses to the households and properties of the residents of Gohpur amounting to crores of rupees in the recent past. The people of the town have to undergo the wrath of nature every monsoon season.
Actually, the situation turned bad a few years back when Gohpur was declared a subdivision by the Government of Assam. When it was declared a subdivision, a sudden flow of people took place to this small town from the adjoining areas. It may be mentioned here that the eastern part of Biswanath district from Gohpur to Howajan is a lowland and hence it is prone to flooding during the rainy season. So when the newcomers to the Gohpur town started building houses, filling the lowlands in and around the town, the situation worsened. The wetlands got filled up which led to overload of water and silt which the Chatrang river had to bear. The river also changed its course towards the town later. The high embankments could not save Gohpur from overflooding.
However, the administration has now undertaken a three-fold strategy to save the people of Gohpur from the Chatrang. Talking to this correspondent, Aditya Vikram Yadav, Subdivisional Officer (Civil), Gohpur, dwelt at length on the government strategies. The Chatrang has two tributaries � namely Mora Chatrang (a dead river at present) and Chatrang and the head of the source of the river is in the foothills of Arunachal Pradesh. So a nine-metre wide channel will be dredged along the Mora Chatrang to divert 40 to 42 per cent waterload and silt of the Chatrang towards it at the head of the river. This will reduce the overall water load in the town area by revitalising the Mora Chatrang. Secondly, anti-erosion activities will be carried out alongside Mora Chatrang by creating an embankment. Thirdly, natural techniques such as plantation of bamboo and trees on the bank of the river will be utilised.
The river is also posing a threat to the National Highway-15 near Indian Oil Depot in the heart of the town. So discussions have already been held in this regard with TK Construction, the firm engaged in the construction and four-laning of the National Highway. A new bridge, at least three to four metres above the present one, is expected to be constructed to stop possible erosion of the highway. Encroachment by the side of the river is also adding fuel to this flood-related problem in the town. Encroached lands will be streamlined when this monsoon season ends.
When asked about the implementing agencies, the SDO (C) disclosed that the Water Resource Department, Government of Assam, Block Development Office and TK Construction would be carrying out their own parts under the supervision of the administration. Work in this respect has already started and the help of the people of Gohpur would be definitely solicited, he added. Yadav expressed the hope that the affected denizens of Gohpur will be saved from the fury of the Chatrang by the next monsoon.
It may be mentioned here that Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inspected the construction work of the guard wall being constructed by the Water Resources Department for the prevention of flood and erosion of the Chatrang river at Gohpur at an estimated cost of Rs 5 crore on July 28 this year and directed the department to take permanent measures to curb this menace. He was accompanied by Keshab Mahanta, Minister for Water Resources then.