GUWAHATI, Sept 5 - Three organisations have alleged in a memorandum to the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) that fresh encroachments have started on the Sarusola Beel wetland in the heart of the city. The adjacent Borsola Beel has also been facing a similar situation, they said. The organisations demand immediate steps to free the wetlands from encroachment and to protect them with barbed-wire fencing.
Such steps are necessary to keep a vast area of the city free from flash flood, as, the Sola Beel wetland system have been playing major roles in storing stormwater and maintaining the ecology of a vast area of the city, say the organisations.
They allege that the 70-feet wide outlet of the Sarusola Beel has now been narrowed down to a mere gutter. A vast area of this outlet has now been converted into a road for the convenience of the encroachers.
A similar development has also affected the Borsola Beel, another major wetland, which, like the Sarusola Beel, plays a major part in saving a vast area of the city from flash flood by storing stormwater during the rainy season, they say.
The organisations�Panbazar Unnayan Samiti, Solabeel Unnayan Samiti and Brihattar Chatribari Unnayan Samiti�have alleged that some people have started constructing RCC structures right on the Sarusola Beel making a mockery of the efforts of the authorities to free the city wetlands from encroachment. Significantly, the authorities concerned have failed to initiate any step against such encroachers, they rue.
On the other hand, the road in the fringe area of the Borsola Beel, behind the Rehabari Forest Office, has also been encroached upon, they say. They further demand that the boundary should be well demarcated.
It is worth mentioning here that the Kamrup (Metro) district administration has promulgated prohibitory orders under Section 144 Cr PC and it still in force in these wetland areas.
