GUWAHATI, July 11 � The acts of erecting structures within the course of the Brahmaputra by Government departments without the permission of the Water Resources Department (WRD) of the State have been resented by the water resources engineers here.
There are four structures on the Brahmaputra in the city. These are � the podium of the Tourism Department�s proposed statue of Lachit Barphukan at Machkhowa, two pillars to draw the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority�s (GMDA�s) proposed ropeway between Guwahati and North Guwahati on the Northern and Southern sides of the Umananda Island and a wall erected by the Tourism Department recently to the east of the Uzanbazar Fish Market.
The above authorities have not bothered to apprise formally the WRD of their acts of raising the above structures, let alone their pleading for no objection certificates (NOCs) from the WRD, said the engineers.
Significantly, the southern pillar of the ropeway has by this time got tilted while confronting an underground rock. This has caused another hydrology-related problem for the Brahmaputra, which is known for its volatile character.
The two pillars of the ropeway are supposed to result in constriction to the river flow and thus to lead to some extra pressures on the banks of the river. To protect the river banks from such pressures, the WRD is to take some measures, or else the river is sure to erode away some parts of the banks to make room for its obstructed flow in a bid to strike a balance, said the engineers.
Significantly, the pillar installed by the GMDA near the Urvasi, which has tilted has not been removed so far. This is obstructing the flow of the river to the detriment of the city. With the installation of another pillar to replace this pillar, the constriction to the flow will increase, the engineers said.
None of the authorities has allegedly paid any heed to these factors and thus the city has been exposed to Brahmaputra erosion, rued the engineers.
However, when tried to know the reactions of the Water Resources Department (WRD) here, it was found that the Department has not made any communication voicing its resentment against the above acts of raising some structures inside the course of the river with the latent danger of �infuriating� the volatile river.
