For the success of Assam Urban Water Bodies (Preservation and Conservation) Bill, 2024, the demarcation of water bodies is vital, but the authorities do not know how much of the water bodies are encroached making it a complex situation
ALSO READ: ICC Approves Hybrid Model For 2025 Champions Trophy: Reports
To ensure protection and conservation of water bodies within the Master Plan Area of all towns and cities of the state, the Assam Cabinet accorded approval to the Assam Urban Water Bodies (Preservation and Conservation) Bill, 2024, which was also placed in the Assam Legislative Assembly. The Bill says that all private water bodies with an area of 2 acres or more and all community water bodies/ponds/tanks, including those belonging to religious institutions, irrespective of its size will fall under the ambit of this bill except private water bodies having an area less than 2 acres and those located in areas notified as Reserved Forest/Wildlife Sanctuary/National Park. Ironically, the authorities at present do not have any “concrete data” regarding such water bodies. The authorities lack complete knowledge about how much wetland has been encroached and required to be evicted for their development.
A source in Dispur talking to GPlus said, “All water bodies will be scheduled and notified with details of the dag numbers and areas, making it easier for all concerned to demarcate and protect them from the encroachers. This exercise will help authorities to chalk out a plan of action along with formulation of appropriate schemes and projects for conservation and protection of the water bodies,” adding though that before that the exact data on the water bodies has to be acquired.
Social activist and Padmashree awardee and former legislator Ajoy Kumar Dutta talking to GPlus said, “There is no data on the water bodies with the authorities, especially in Guwahati,” adding that there is already a Guwahati Water bodies (Preservation and Conservation) Act 2008, and if that act was followed the water bodies in Guwahati could have been preserved.
He alleged that whenever there is a political change in the state irrespective of the party, the water bodies get encroached. He said, “Places like Rehabari, Manipuri Basti, Solapara are all over water bodies,” adding that even the Assam tourism Development Corporation building is over a beel. Talking about Deepor Beel, he said the government has no idea how much land belongs to the government there at present. He said that many establishments have been constructed around the Deepor Beel illegally by encroachment and the irony is that they even got patta numbers, which is a scam.
“A former revenue secretary level officer sold much government land, which were water bodies,” said Dutta.
Dutta said that preservation of water bodies is vital, but in Guwahati till now the government has only taken steps to protect/preserve Silsako Beel whereas all the water bodies should be preserved.
He said that a report submitted by a committee for the land rights of the indigenous people of Assam headed by Retired IAS officer HS Brahma outlines various measures to preserve the wetlands in the state, but it was not followed by the government.
The HS Brahma committee report said, “Assam, particularly the north bank of the Brahmaputra, is dotted with large water bodies, constituting 43% of India's total number of water bodies. There are about 4000 such water bodies in the State. Of course according to official records there are 3931 such lakes in Assam. These water bodies are very rich natural resources of Assam. And with little imagination and planning, these could have been converted into profit making fisheries.”
The report also said that only 25% of these beels/lakes have been utilised for pisciculture which is why, Assam has to import large quantity of fishes from outside Assam.
“Even a well-sketched map of these natural water bodies may not have been prepared either by the Revenue Department or by the Fishery Department. Still more significant is the fact that these water bodies possess the possibilities of being developed into Eco-Tourism Centres like the 'Lake District's of England. In the absence of well demarcated boundaries and the reliable map, it has been possible to encroach upon these lakes,” said the report.
Dutta said demarcation of water bodies is vital and without that water bodies cannot be preserved.
A source in Dispur said, “The town and country planning department in collaboration with the revenue department are conducting a survey to demark all water bodies across the state.”
A source in town and country planning department talking to GPlus said, “A pilot study has started in Guwahati to identify all government and private water bodies which can be preserved,” adding that the survey will take a long time as the revenue department does not have concrete data on the water bodies so when they provide the data the survey will accordingly be conducted. The source said that at present the revenue department is providing data in bits and pieces so the completion of the survey will take a long time. The source said that around one to one-and-a-half years will be required only to complete the survey in Guwahati, thereafter the survey in other places will start. The source said that it is unknown how much encroachment has happened in the water bodies, therefore the revenue department is taking time to provide the information.
Guwahati city with an estimated population of about twelve lakh has several lentic water bodies including Sola Beel, Borsola Beel, Dighalipukhuri, Jorpukhuri, Silpukhuri in the heart of the city and Deepar Beel on the western outskirt of the city. There are Silsako Beel, Bondajan and several rivers like Bharalu-Bahini and Basistha. These wetlands are presently under intense human activities leading to deterioration of water quality. Unless the authorities have knowledge on how much of the water bodies are encroached preservation and protection is difficult.
