'Free Bahini from encroachers to get rid of flash floods in Jorabat'

From our Correspondent

DIMORIA, July 26: Flash floods in the Jorabat area have worried the local people there, those ply vehicles over the NH-37 and NH-40 and the residents of Panjabari, Six Mile and Khapara areas in Guwahati who have to bear the brunt of the spillover effects of the flash floods.

The local people of Jorabat say that the width of the Bahini river from Jorabat North East Cancer Hospital to Jorabat Tiniali has been constricted badly due to rampant encroachment. “The water flow is badly impeded at bends and constrictions, leading to overflow of water inundating the road,” the local people say, and add that the width of the river is almost as it was earlier in the stretch from Khapara to the CRPF Camp.

“The width of the river was around 20 feet earlier. However, due to rampant encroachment, the river has been constricted to a small cal. There are illegally erected structures on the river. Swaran Automobiles has erected a structure by encroaching upon a vast portion of the river, and that leads to waterlogging and inundation of the road,” the local people say.

The local people also say that the culverts constructed by the tiol Highway Authority of India (NHAI) are very shallow and as such they cannot discharge more water. “Flash floods will continue to make life hellish at Jorabat unless the Bahini river is made free from encroachment and the draige system there is not developed scientifically,” the local people say.

This apart, earth cutting is going on continuously in the Meghalaya side. “The red soil from the Meghalaya side gets deposited in the Bahini river and other drains. The bed of the Bahini river has been raised to a great extent now,” they local people said.