[Assam] Artificial Floods in Guwahati - AP Borgohain

[uttam borthakur]

Mahanta Da, I support you in the essentials. This person was so powerful as a technocrat that he could have lots of good if he wanted to. The present predicament to a great extent can be traced to his tenure in power. Not that he did not know how to do things. But the fact remains that he did not raise a finger the right direction at all.


Uttam Kumar Borthakur

--- On Sun, 6/7/08, mc mahant <mikemahant at hotmail.com> wrote:

From: mc mahant <mikemahant at hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Assam] Artificial Floods in Guwahati - AP Borgohain
To: "A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world" <assam at assamnet.org>
Date: Sunday, 6 July, 2008, 2:19 PM

This guy thinks he is an engineer?
Defies Gravity.
How about him leaving Guahati and settling inSF? 
Another Jewel in his(and his boss Tarun's )crown  is latest wide
advertizement  signed by 3  way-down-below  ACS's  is asking Guahatians :
 " Do you have anything to say re Guahati floods-- here are Fax #s"
After Sinking 250 crores in 2 years making "Effective Drains for
Guahati"?
 
Asking Guests  by advert--'You can come and attend my daughter's
wedding reception'
  mm> Date: Sun, 6 Jul 2008 15:10:20 +0800> From:
jyotirmoy.sharma at gmail.com> To: assam at assamnet.org> Subject: [Assam]
Artificial Floods in Guwahati - AP Borgohain> > Without going into the
technicalities of diverting water from Meghalaya, the> points raised in the
article seem valid and logical except this one.> "Let us cut the hills
inside Guwahati and fill up low lying areas with the> cut materials. Let us
build wide roads to the top of the hills like in San> Francisco."> I
would have though that if you destroy the hills, then no hills remain to>
build roads. Can't the same be achieved from the sand banks of
Brahmaputra> without destroying the hills?> JS> > >From the
Assam Tribune Editorial>
http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=jul0608/edit2> > >
Artificial Floods in Guwahati - AP Borgohain> In 1950, the natural drainage
system along with the wet spaces were> sufficient enough for carrying the
surface run off of the present catchment> area of Guwahati to the outfall at
Bharalumukh. As the low lying places are> filled up and sewage added to run
off, flood occurred. To decrease the> quantity of surface run off, flowing
to the natural drainage system, it is> necessary to catch the run off and
divert it on gravity flow. The level of> Brahmaputra at Palasbari is 6 m
below the level of Guwahati. The storm water> coming down the hills of
Meghalaya, enter Guwahati through the bridges on NH> 37 via Bahini and
Basistha rivers near Khanapara and flowing via Bharalu> river in the city
exit Guwahati through the bridge on NH 37 near Jalukbari.> > Let us catch
this water at the foot of the hills and divert it to Dipar Beel> and then to
Palasbari. Let us not allow the storm water from the hills of> Meghalaya to
cross NH 37 and come to Guwahati. The watershed so contained at> the
foothills will form into an artificial lake, becoming a place of tourist>
attraction with water sports in it. Harvesting of rainwater like this will>
assist in maintaining the ground water level of the city also. Similarly,>
the water coming down to Silarshaku Beel from Jorabat Amsing Hills can be>
caught at the foothills and diverted to this lake via Khanapara. Catch
water> drains can be built under the roads in all the hillocks of Guwahati
and the> water can be diverted to Brahamaputra directly on gravity flow.
Then,> Bharalu and Bahini will flow with the run off of the plains of the
city and> there will be no overflowing.> > Let us have a good Town
Planner. Let us cut the hills inside Guwahati and> fill up low lying areas
with the cut materials. Let us build wide roads to> the top of the hills
like in San Francisco. This will automatically stop> haphazard settlement on
hills. The street level in the plains of Guwahati> city maybe fixed at two
feet above the HFL of the rivers.> > Let us evict all the shops in front
of residences of residential locality.> The building Byelaws of the GMDA
require front open space of minimum 3 m to> 9 m regulated by width of street
and height of building. Therefore, all> shops built up to the road or
footpath is illegal and these shops are the> main root of blocking of drains
and streams. Even shops built in front of> multistoried buildings on the main
roads are illegal. GMDA should take> immediate steps to evict all illegal
structures. GMDA can encourage> construction of mall with sufficient parking
in each of the localities.> > A modern sewage treatment plant and solid
disposal system is the immediate> necessity of the city but let us ensure
that: (i) there shall be no house in> the city without a septic tank; (ii)
no septic tank should be permitted> without a covered soak pit; (iii)
households disposing effluent from septic> tanks directly to roadside drains
may be fined and sealed; (iv) usage of> imported porous soil for the soak pit
for proper soaking maybe made> statutory; (v) disposal of sullage (water from
bathrooms, kitchens and> laundry) to roadside drains maybe immediately
banned. Owners must arrange> soak pits for sullage soaking within their own
compounds; (vi) bulky> household waste and solid waste must also be
incinerated inside compounds> only. Throwing of such wastes to roads,
rivers, drains, should be severely> punished by law; (vii) every citizen
must keep his compound and the road and> the roadside drain in front of his
house clean: otherwise he should be fined> in thousands of rupees daily;
(viii) all hotels in Paltan Bazaar area and> other places dispose the
sullage into roadside drains. Hotels, apartments,> commercial places
disposing sullage into roadside drains should be> immediately sealed; (ix)
roadside drains, streams, rivers in the city should> carry storm water only;
(x) implementation of the above civic rules will> have added benefit of
mosquito control with empowered existing> organizational structure of the
authorities.> > Let us take the following steps for beautification of the
city. A cleaner> city will draw out its surface water: (a) Let us keep
removable big plastic> buckets, garbage bins with potythene carry bags
inside, in large numbers in> all public places, commercial place, markets,
roadsides etc. like in> Singapore and keep one watchman for regular removal
and replacing of the> carry bags and arrange for their immediate disposal.
Unemployed youths can> take up this business and collect fees from the shops
and residents.> > (b) Let us remove all roadside advertisements. These are
unlawful, not found> in Delhi, give a clumsy look, encourage littering and
their legs block> waterways and the flicker of a glance at these, causes
accidents throwing> scraps to drains. Let us plant flowers and trees
instead. When you can build> such costly roads why do you allow someone to
put his sign in the middle of> the road in the name of a barrier.> >
(c) Let us forbid and remove all tea and pan tables, vegetable vendors etc>
from footpaths, roadsides etc.> > (d) Let us forbid and remove storage of
sand, soil, bricks, and aggregates> etc on roads for sale. It should be
statutory that materials collected on> road for construction of building do
not see daylight.> > (e) Let us enforce along the road parking only.
Across the road and double> parking maybe banned. Close all gaps in median
in all the roads of Guwahati.> Like, why do you allow the gap in front of
the Saraogi petrol pump on GS> Road, when there is a rotary one hundred feet
away in front of the> secretariat.> > (f) Let the rickshaws, the
autorickshaws, the taxis, the trucks and the> buses find their own parking
lots. Their parking on roads should be banned> immediately.> > (g)
GMDA should encourage multistoried private parking places.> > (h) Let the
city have red lights immediately. Make GS Road and AT Road> freeways and
introduces traffic signal on all other streets. A disciplined> traffic will
receive lesser litters> > Let the GMDA engage a sanitary inspector, a
housing inspector, a health> inspector, a traffic inspector etc on each road
and let them enforce the> building bye laws. Let them interact with the local
residents' Associations.> Superintendents may be engaged in each locality
to check upon the> inspectors. These superintendents should be answerable to
the CEO, Minister.> Let the residents bear the cost and let them live in
healthy Guwahati.> Stringent laws empower the GMDA but their strict
implementation is the need> of the day.> (*The writer is a retired
Commissioner, Assam PWD.*)>
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