Water hurdles for Guwahati’s urban conglomerate

Water hurdles for Guwahati’s urban conglomerate Dr.Athiqul H Laskar Guwahati may be the gateway to the North-East of India and could have been slated as one of the fastest growing cities in India, but the fact that the biggest city of Assam is facing serious water and drainage problems just cannot be ruled out. Researchers and urban planners have cited the improper drainage system of the city as the main cause for the widespread water logging problems, regular occurrence of flash floods and inadequate drinking water facilities for the residents in the city. Although state and central government projects are being implemented one after the other in the city, they do not seem to be springing up instant results and thus the fate of the people in different parts of the city still hangs in perpetual balance. Flash floods and lake encroachment: Guwahati is an urban area that is supplemented by three natural drainage systems and yet the condition of the underground drainage system in the city continues in the very same pathetic state. Baralu River, Mora River and Bahini River are three rivers that are well connected to the feeder drains of the city. But with each passing day, the natural banks and slopes are being encroached upon and thus offering little or no navigation space for the proper outlet of the drainage flowing from the city. There are many construction projects like building of bridges being carried out without the proper approval of competent authorities. Due to these man-made projects, the course of the river has been altered to a certain extent. As far as the underground water is concerned, in the monsoon season, the water from the flash floods flow into the Sola Beel, regarded as a prime wetland situated within the city perimeters. But trouble started brewing when the people residing on the banks of the lake were issued valid documents. Soon encroachment started and there was more and more filling of the lake body as the importance of Sola Beel as an important storm water reservoir was soon forgotten. Today, even in the occurrence of a small downpour, the large land areas get inundated very fast, thus leading to continued urban area degradation. Inadequate drinking water facilities: Guwahati has always been a city, from time immemorial, stuck with topological constraints and giant loopholes in the urban town planning structure. There are still many areas in the city that have not been reached by the piped water supplied by the corporation. Those depending on alternative sources of water such as bore wells and ring wells have also been affected adversely due to the depletion of the level of ground water. In the dry summer months such as April and May, the issue of inadequate drinking water gets even more heightened. The setback to the people of Guwahati is worse when compared to bigger cities like Mumbai which shared similar drinking water problems. But in Mumbai, there were rapid developments and the installation of pipes of diameter 12 feet cleared problems to a great extent. But no such steps are being taken in Guwahati where tube wells are forced to be dug deeper than 50 feet to get a glimpse of the ground water. While metropolitan cities like Delhi and Kolkata have the system of man-holes in the middle of the road, such a system has not been envisaged in the town planning charts of Guwahati. The predicament grows even deeper when there are infectious and viral diseases being reported to be spreading from one household to the other through these water mediums. Considerable light also needs to be shed on the plight of the city in the times of natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis. While other cities have adequate disaster management facilities and contingency teams, such high-tech services continue to elude the North Eastern city. These issues continue to rock the boat and there is an urgent need for the implementation of potential packages with sustainable solutions. Air pollution, mosquito breeding and rain water harvesting: In the monsoon months, breeding of mosquito in water resources is a general sight that people of Guwahati have learned to adjust with. The accumulation of garbage by the city dwellers and the improper disposal of domestic waste by the Municipal authorities have been cited as strong causes for the widespread mosquito breeding lairs in several parts of the city. This further leads to the spread of infectious diseases like Malaria and Jaundice. While developed countries like USA have learned to use mosquito repellents and public mosquito air sprays, such systems have not been brought into effect in Guwahati. The increasing number of vehicles on roads has contributed to the air pollution factor in the city as well leading to respiratory ailments among city dwellers. As for rain harvesting methods in Guwahati, there are plans to allocate funds to develop projects that could pave the way for the efficient storage and utilization of rain water that could solve the drinking water problems of the city. In conclusion, it is important for the government authorities in Guwahati to take note of the fact that disturbing and causing harm to nature is not going to open up new avenues for man to start developmental projects. Right from the division of the state of Assam into smaller states like Meghalaya, there was no responsibility on the part of the government to show sincerity in keeping a planned record of the changes that are to be carried out. Today, the people as well as the authorities are forced to endure the repercussions such as the impact of deforestation, soil erosion and widespread grazing of animals on wide grasslands. With more and more trees being uprooted with each passing day, the soil seems to be losing control and thus eroding away, proving to be detrimental to the inner layers of the ground. Therefore, one does not need to be surprised if there are regular recurrences of large scale earthquakes especially in a city like Guwahati that falls under the seismic zones and regions that are prone to the occurrence of natural disturbances. Former President and Visionary Dr A.P.J Abdul Kalam recently remarked that River Brahmaputra should be a part of the National Water Grid and stores immense potential for the people of Guwahati. He added that the river needs to be turned into a vibrant waterway. It is highly pertinent to take stock of these wise words as they contain the seeds for an ambitious and aspiring project, which if turned into reality could solve all the major water issues that Guwahati has faced for the last 3-4 decades. States like Gujarat have been able to swim the tide of water related problems and provide excellent resources for Ahmedabad even in spite of the city being far away from the main river. With the help of a proper plan and network, they were able to solve the drinking issues of Ahmadabad’s city dwellers. The same project could be replicated in Guwahati and will certainly spring up new wonders on its way. With the arrival of the monsoon season in the offing, there are indeed fresh troubles brewing for the city people when it comes to flash floods and water logging. Authorities need to take quick and fast decisions on pending developmental projects or otherwise that day is not far when all these efforts would prove to be futile for the people of Guwahati. (Feedback: www.conantinstitute.org.in.).