GUWAHATI, Sept 2 - Asserting that the impact of urban floods has lessened in Guwahati to a great extent due to the initiatives of the GMDA, the urban body�s chairman, Dhiren Baruah said that the city could be made flash flood free in another year.
Visiting the flood-prone areas of Anil Nagar and Nabin Nagar, where floodwaters still accumulate in some of the bylanes during heavy rainfall, he talked to the local people and assured them of taking preventive measures.
While visiting the major water diversion channel in the Noonmati-Bonda area, the GMDA chairman said that this project has been instrumental in diverting water from the city to the Brahmaputra and once the channel is made concrete, the floodwaters from half of the city can be diverted within no time.
�Both Anil Nagar and Nabin Nagar used to get totally submerged during the entire rainy season, but today these localities are completely dry. The patches, where water still accumulates during rainfall, have been identified for further action. It is with the help of the public and the government that we could get rid of the worst nightmares of the local residents,� said Baruah.
He claimed that areas like the rear side of the Gauhati Commerce College, RG Baruah Road and Chandmari have also 80 per cent less waterlogging.
Amulya Chandra Das, retired secretary of the State Irrigation Department and a local resident of Anil Nagar bylane 4, said that the waters from the city fringes were not entering the locality as a result of the diversion of the water from the RG Baruah Road-Noonmati to Silsako Beel.
�It is more of local water accumulating in Anil Nagar and Nabin Nagar during the rains now. Some patches like bylanes 3 and 4 of Anil Nagar and the Namghar Road of Nabin Nagar are still affected, but not to the extent it earlier used to be. Though the level of the Brahmaputra is high, the water level of the Bharalu channel is below the mark, which is a positive sign,� he added.
Asking Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to ensure that power failure does not interrupt the process of water diversion, Baruah said that whereas constant electricity supply is needed to pump out water, the power cuts are proving to be a major irritant.
The 20km-long diversion channel that starts from near the Guwahati Refinery and falls into the Brahmaputra at Hatisila has been planned to divert the heavy flow of water from the fringe areas of the city. A pumping station has also been set up along the channel with a sluice gate.
�Earlier also, we asked the Chief Minister to provide us with separate electricity supply with our own generators. We reiterate that it is the prime necessity without which our infrastructure will remain idle. Despite fund crunch and other difficulties, our people are working day in and day out to keep the city flood-free. We seek support from all concerned to achieve a flood-free Guwahati,� he added.
