Guwahati: worried about “dying” Bharalu, a tributary from the Brahmaputra River, a group of Guwahati residents had handened hands with the government to save him, and had proposed a planned action to Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) and the Guwahati Development Department and Guwahati (GDD).
Bharalu flows through a solid-populated Guwahati before meeting Brahmaputra.
According to conservationists, in the last 50 years, tributary children have become similar to a highly polluted channel, the root causes of severe floods in the city.
Robin Kalita, a former Indian train traffic service employee, said: “The current condition of Bharalu has forced me to do something to save him, which has turned into a dirty and smelly drain.
Only a few people think the same to join me in the mission.
We have prepared an action plan to revive and save Bharalu.
“GMC and GDD have not responded to the action plan delivered by Kalita and his colleagues.
According to Kalita, the action plan includes the spread of awareness among people, making river rivers free of encroachment and widening bharalu.
“Ordinary people cannot do anything without the help of the government.
We can help the government in creating public awareness and identifying violating areas.
The department concerned must take the necessary actions,” he added.
Various organizations and environmental lovers have raised their voices to save Bharalu, while many experts have also provided advice.
However, there is no step taken until now.
Hemen’s conservationist Lahkar told Tii, “because of the sluggish government attitude, the river which was once home to a variety of water species had turned into dirty drain, carrying city waste.” “In addition, the government’s tackle has provided an opportunity to violate river banks, as a result of which river size has been reduced drastically for decades,” he added.
Commissioner GMC Devasish Sharma said the city did not have waste management factories and integrated waste management policies.
“People often throw garbage into the water channel, which ultimately open to Bharalu, thus pollusing it.
Clogged channel produces flooding,” he added.
Sharma, however, said GMC plans to take the initiative in this regard immediately.