GUWAHATI, Sept 2 - Coming under fire for frequent waterlogging and artificial floods in the city, the State government and the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) today said that all efforts are being made to ensure that the problem does not escalate, including increasing pumping capacity to discharge water from the city into the Brahmaputra.
Addressing the media at the State Secretariat here, Additional Chief Secretary MGVK Bhanu and GMC Commissioner Narayan Konwar claimed that the problem of waterlogging is much less this year as compared to last year�s monsoon season.
�We have closed the sluice gate at Bharalumukh since the past 14 days. Pumps are being used round the clock to discharge water from the Bharalu into the Brahmaputra. There is a two-metre difference in the water level between the Bharalu and the Brahmaputra. Without the efforts taken by our engineers, places like Anil Nagar and Nabin Nagar would have suffered from having been inundated by those two metres of water,� Bhanu said.
He said that all pumping stations, both within the city and those discharging water at the Brahmaputra, are working round the clock. Pumping capacity for discharging water to the Brahmaputra has been increased by 150 per cent this year as compared to last year.
�We are maintaining the water level at the Bharalu,� Bhanu said.
He, however, admitted that the problem of waterlogging continues to exist in some localities like Panjabari, Down Town and Sarumataria and said this is due to the fact that the outlets to the Silsako Beel have not yet been completely cleared.
He said work on the construction of two new drains to divert water from these areas to Silsako Beel will start later this month under an Asian Development Bank (ADB) project.
�I can assure you that those localities which are suffering from flooding for 3-4 hours� duration following rainfall now will not have to suffer floods next year,� he said.
He added that this year most of the civic works had to be halted in mid-May itself as the pre-monsoon rains came early.
He, however, added that no long-term solution to the artificial flood problem of the city would emerge without protecting the Deepor Beel and the Silsako Beel.
