Dr Rabin Mazumder
(rabin_mazumder@yahoo.co.in)
The Bahini -Bharalu, a tributary of the Brahmaputra,once flowing across the city of Guwahati with its flora and fauna, is now a still dirty dustbin of the city, which Guwahat citizens know as “nullah’’, i.e. drain.
A river stream originating from a reserved forest of Meghalaya, enters Assam asthe Bahini just east of Vasistha mandir . Flowing downacross Natunbazar near Basistha Charali, it crosses the NH 27,then across Beltola, Saurav nagar, Joya nagar, Rukmini gaon to cross Guwahati Shillong road, then moves westward in front of Downtown hospital , Mathuranagar , Hengerabari and finally Ganeshguri. There it turns north and flows along the R G Barua Road to reach Assam State Zoowhere it becomes Bharalu.After crossing R G Barua Road at Jonali, flowing across Tarun nagar, Anil nagar, Lachit nagar, theBharalu crosses the GS Road at Ulubari and flows westward across Aryanagar, Kumarpara to join Brahmaputra at Bharalumukh .
Prestine Bahini – Bharalu flowing across jungles and paddy field, very sparsely populated areas of the city now a dirty garbage ladden long ‘dustbin ‘ full of poisonous and carcinogenic contaminants from Natun bazar to Bharalumukh. As a result of unplanned shifting of the capital from Shillong to Dispur in mid seveties, population increased manyfold . The vacant paddy fields of R G Barua road to Rajgarh, that of Rupnagar- Birubari got filled up with new construction of houses, roads and drains , most of them flouting laid down norms in haphazard manner.Entered in our daily lives almost at the sametime , the plastic and polythin stuff in abundance. Space fopr holding rain water earlier is lost , existing drains got clogged by plastic garbages leading to flash flood following one or two heavy showers. the Bharalu got so much polluted that NGT had to declare Bharalu as one of the most polluted river in the country out of 351 polluted rivers with its BOD ( Biochemical Oxygen demand ) at 52mg/litre as against permissible limit of 3mg/L.
To restore the ecosystemmaintained by Bahini-Bharalu river system and to stop the threat to public health because of taking water from well and tube well, contaminated by the already seepage of contaminated ground water ( as only 30-40% citizens getpiped water supplied by Guwahati Municipal Corporation), weneed to rejuvenate the Bahini Bharalu at any cost.
To achieve this, the following action plansare a must:
1. Stopping of garbage dumping into these riversbesides other water streams and drains, and so that water can flow freely without any obstruction during rainy season.
2. To stop release of all effluent, sewage , washings from house holds, commercial & industrial set ups into these natural streams and trap them by parallel chanels to be treated by STPs ( Sewage treatment Plant) and resultant effluent to be released in the river which will add to the volume of water.
3. Once a natural stream fed by natural water is now a rain fed one. When there is no flow, there is more silting, which renders the river bed shallow, which in turn slows down the flow wich helps growth of vegetations and such vegetations , very slow flow or no flow result in more silting. To stop this process, the Bahini must flow round the year as in the past.
Presuming that Ist and 2nd suggestions are materialised, even then if the Bahini does not flow all the time, then rejuvenation of dying Bahini – Bharalu is impossible, it will remain as a dirty drain.
That is why a flowing Bahini in the first place isvery important.
But how to make it possible, to keep the tributary flowing all the year round?
(A) During rainy season, Rukmini gaon, Downtown hospital area, Mathuranagar gets waterlogged after a heavy shower and to mitigate this in the mid eighties a sluice gate was installed to divert the flow of Bahini at Natunabazar near Kali mandir ( Natun bazar, near Basistha Chariali) westward through a drain to join the Basistha river near Games Village and from that day Bahini became dry only to be fed by municipal drain water, sewage and rain water!
Now the defunct sluice gate needs to be replaced by a new and modern sluice gate allowing entire or at least 80-90% flow of the Bahini to flowalong its natural course. Entire course of the Bahini needs to be desilted, dredged and widened evicting all illegal encroachment to carry well the large volume of water and this gate can be shut if there is heavy shower during rainy season to stop any flashflood .
(B) A considerably wide stream of water from Silsako beel after intersecting the Bahini almost opposite the Janata Bhawan flows southward to jointhe Lakhimijan stream at Hatigaon. By installing anothe sluice gate at the intersection, major part of water needs to be diverted or fed to the Bahini which will increase the volume of water flowing and this large volume of water will eventually feed the Bharalu beyond the Assam State zoowhole year.
So, these measures can ensure the Bahini to flow with natural and it must flow to ensure a flowing Bharalu.