GUWAHATI: Donning white caps with the Save Bharalu logo, members of the Save Bharalu Abhiyan and local residents of R G Barua Road gathered on Sunday morning at Jonali to oppose any diversion of the Bahini River. The Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup Metro District recently made public the following action plans: a) widening of the north bank of Bondajan Channel; b) work at the new Bondajan pump house; c) extension of the Noonmati drain; and d) excavation of a pit at Silsako for the diversion of Bahini flow from Rukminigaon. While appreciating and welcoming the first three government initiatives, Dr Rabin Mazumder, President of Save Bharalu Abhiyan, stated that any diversion of Bahini flow was unacceptable to Abhiyan because they wanted Bahini and Bharalu to flow all year and only that could ensure Bharalu's survival. Bharalu is the continuation of Bahini, which originated in neighbouring Meghalaya and carried water to the plains and fed Bharalu in the past. But in order to prevent flooding of Rukminigaon and downstream areas in mid eighties, its flow was diverted west to Basistha River near games village by installing a SLUICE GATE near Kali Mandir near Basistha charali and since then Bahini in its original course and Bharalu downward deprived of natural water turning it into a rain fed river vis a vis drain. He suggested that instead of diverting Bahini, the proposed canal be utilised to divert the rainwater from Meghalaya hills coming down across Jorabat, which usually floods Rukminigaon and adjacent areas. He and other members demanded that the sluice gate at Kali Mandir be dismantled to let Bahini flow as in the past. He was supported by vice President Dr Seema rekha Devi and memebers Nava Sarma, Dhrubaj yoti Saikia, Atul Barman, Bikash Talukdar, Akhil Goswami and many, stated a press release.
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