GMC plan to desilt 1,000 km of drains, 5 river channels in city

Guwahati: To make the city flood-free, around 1,000 km of drains along with the five river channels in Guwahati will be desilted and dredged to increase the stormwater capacity and ensure free flow of rainwater during monsoon. Nearly Rs 35 crore will be spent on it, reports Mukut Das.
The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC), the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority, the water resources department and PWD have been jointly working on the mission, a promise made by the ruling BJP government before the GMC polls earlier this year. GMC commissioner Megha Nidhi Dahal said, “All the departments concerned have been working on a war footing. GMC has been desilting the Bahini and Bharalu. Rampant encroachments were found on both the banks of the channels, and we are clearing them. As per rules, any construction can be done at least 20 ft from the river channels. We have demolished parts of many houses and other establishments that had encroached upon the Bharalu and Bahini.”