Guwahati: Illegal Dumping Turns Bharalu Into Sewage Channel

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Illegal dumping and the unchecked discharge of untreated waste into the Bharalu river system are not only choking one of Guwahati's key waterways but also aggravating the city's persistent flooding problem, environmental activists said on Sunday.

The concern came into sharp focus during a boat race organised on the Mora Bharalu by the Save Bharalu Abhiyan to mark World Rivers Day. Six boats took part in the second edition of the Save Bharalu boat race, held between the ACA Cricket Stadium and Manpara from 8 am.

Assamese film actor Jatin Bora inaugurated the event, joining the citizen-led campaign for the first time. Organisers said his participation drew a larger crowd and helped amplify the campaign for the restoration of the Bharalu river system. Bora said keeping the Bharalu clean was a collective responsibility and called for greater public support for the campaign.

"The river plays a major role in Guwahati's flooding, and if we keep it clean, many of the city's problems will be solved," he said. The Save Bharalu Abhiyan, founded in 2021 by senior surgeon Dr Rabindra Nath Mazumder, has been conducting citizen-led programmes for six consecutive years to draw attention to the deteriorating condition of the Bharalu and its tributaries.

Once a natural stream flowing through Guwahati, the Bharalu today is widely described by residents and environmentalists as an open sewage channel, with untreated waste and solid garbage finding their way into the river and its tributaries, including the Bahini and Mora Bharalu.

The impact extends beyond the city, with polluted water from the Mora Bharalu eventually flowing into Deepor Beel, Guwahati's Ramsar-designated wetland, raising concerns over the wider ecological consequences of continued pollution. The organisation has demanded immediate government intervention, including the removal of illegal encroachments along the riverbanks, the construction of sewage treatment plants and parallel diversion canals, and the installation of surveillance cameras to identify and penalise those involved in illegal dumping.

Sunday's boat race was the second such event organised by the group, which has continued to use World Rivers Day activities to build public awareness around the Bharalu's worsening pollution and its direct implications for Guwahati's environment and flooding.

With garbage and untreated waste continuing to enter the river system, the campaign has sought to shift the focus from periodic clean-up drives to stronger enforcement, sewage management and long-term restoration of the Bharalu. 

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