GUWAHATI, March 18 - Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today reviewed the measures taken by the Guwahati Development Department (GDD) to prevent artificial floods in the city.
The Chief Minister directed the officials of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) to complete the de-silting of drains and water-bodies by the first week of May so that free flow of rainwater can be ensured before the onset of monsoon.
He also urged the officials to explore ways to revive the Bharalu river and look at ways to develop water-bodies to retain excess water coming from the hills of Meghalaya during the rainy season.
Issuing direction to the officials of the department to conduct awareness meetings in the flood-prone areas in the city, the Chief Minister stressed the need to make people the stakeholders in the fight against flash floods so that they do throw garbage and plastics into the drains. He also directed the officials to make the people accountable for deeds such as those that clog the drains and cause floods.
He also called for involving the media in the awareness campaigns so that the government�s activities to prevent flood get highlighted. For properly sensitizing the people, Sonowal suggested involving NGOs or private players who could be entrusted with the responsibility to make people aware about garbage management and keeping the drains clear in the city.
Properly covering of all naked electrical cables, managing streetlights, etc, by the APDCL, preparedness of the NDRF and the SDRF during flood situations, de-weeding of Silsaku Beel, Mission Flood Free Guwahati, clearing of drains under train lines, etc, also came up for discussion during the meeting.
Guwahati Development Department Minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya, Forest and Environment Minister Parimal Suklabaidya, Minister of State of Revenue and Disaster Management (Independent) Jogen Mohan, and Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Sanjay Lohia were present in the meeting, among others.
