Flood mitigation schemes progressing in Guwahati

GUWAHATI, Oct 10: Lack of proper drainage system has claimed as many as 12 lives since 2014 in Guwahati.

The drainage schemes in Guwahati go on at a snail’s pace. The ground reality is such that only two of the 38 flood mitigation schemes of the Guwahati Development Department (GDD) being constructed by the PWD (Road) have been completed so far. As many 36 schemes are far from being completed. They have been shown to be progressing. While the progress of six of the ten schemes taken up in 2017-18 under Flood Mitigation 2017-18 under PWD’s Guwahati Division I is o per cent 10 per cent, the progress of the remaining three schemes are 40 per cent, 20 per cent and 70 per cent respectively. According to a GDD official, flood mitigation schemes worth Rs 1196.23 lakh were given to PWD’s City Division I in 2017-18. The official has further said that as many as 23 flood mitigation schemes with a sanctioned cost of Rs 2774.57 lakh have been given to PWD’s City Division II, but only one of the schemes has been completed so far.

According to the official, none of the five flood mitigation schemes given to North Guwahati State Road Division of the PWD in Amingaon is completed. The five schemes have a total sanction of Rs 849.50 lakh.

While one of the schemes has been deadlocked in a land dispute, most of the other incomplete projects have schedules of commissioning from October 2018 to April 2019, he said, and added: “Two of the 17 flood mitigation schemes taken up in 2016-17 are yet to be completed.”

The official said: “We get projects of flood mitigation done with four agencies – GMC, GMDA, PWD (Road) and Water Resource (technical). Apart from PWD roads, we’ve taken up projects worth Rs 75 crore in three year from 2018-20. With this amount we’re going to dredge 330 drains and five rivers – Bharalu, Morabharalu, Bahini, Bashistha and Bondajan. We’ve already installed a number pumps through the GMDA. Through Water Resource (technical), we’ve installed pumps in areas like Anil Nagar, Lachit Nagar, Tarun Nagar and RG Baruah Path.”