By: Rokibuz Zaman
GUWAHATI: An NDRF team, which is undertaking the Brahmaputra Aamantran Abhiyaan rafting expedition, reached Tezpur in Sonitpur district on Saturday.
The Brahmaputra Aamantran Abhiyaan, which is an initiative of the Centre and has been organized by the Brahmaputra Board (Ministry of Jal Shakti), is designed to be a public outreach initiative aimed at popularizing sustainable practices and river rejuvenation, primarily among the younger generation.
“The main objective of the Brahmaputra Aamantran Abhiyaan is to understand how to co-exist with the river and understand its benefits. The expedition is not just about rafting and adventure spots, but a very important aspect is the scientific study which is happening alongside. This will help in acquiring a lot of important information about the river, the soil and other important factors,” said Brahmaputra Board chairman Rajeev Jadav.
He added that along with the rafting activity, a combined data collection and sampling exercise on river water quality, river sediment, river bank erosion and fish habitat along the entire route of the expedition will also be conducted in collaboration with various technical institutes of the states.
A number of organisations associated with the Brahmaputra Aamantran Abhiyan like IIT-Guwahati and Northeast Space Application Centre also took active part in the proceedings.
Assam chief minister Sonowal said, “Brahmaputra is our culture, our economy and our identity. The Brahmaputra Aamantran Abhiyan has been designed to understand the intricacies of living in the Brahmaputra basin. We must learn how to sustainably and mutually benefit from the resources that the mighty Brahmaputra has to offer, all the while respecting nature and making efforts to preserve it.”