The Brahmaputra River has always been an emotion for the Assamese community. This is evident as Brahmaputra has always found mention in the writings of many luminaries like Rupkonwar Jyotiprasad Agarwala, Lakshminath Bezbaroa, Dr. Bhupen Hazarika etc. Mythology has the legendary story of Parashuram, who after beheading his mother Renuka with his axe, had to wash his hands in the river ‘Lohit’, as the axe had got glued to his hands.
The largest river island in the world, the smallest river island, the longest bridges in India, the longest river ropeway in India are all on the Brahmaputra besides a number tribes and communities that thrive along its banks.
Yet, even though Brahmaputra is an ‘emotion’, the people of Assam have altogether failed to maintain Brahmaputra’s aura.
No doubt the dwellers of Assam consider Brahmaputra an emotion, but these are the same people who become careless when it comes to keeping the Brahmaputra clean. The Brahmaputra has a lot of tributaries, which if polluted, pollutes the entire Brahmaputra. An example of this is the Bharalu River which lies in the heart of the Guwahati city itself.
All the waste products dumped into the Bharalu directly fall into the Brahmaputra. And these are the things that are actually acting as barriers in the process of converting the Brahmaputra into an actual and practical emotion.
If we analyze the ways of converting Brahmaputra into an emotion in practical terms there are probably two directions where efforts must be put in.
And the two directions basically are –
1) Keeping the Brahmaputra and its banks clean
2) Escalating the potential tourism viability of the Brahmaputra.
If we converse about keeping the Brahmaputra and its banks clean, in reality, it has been a major issue that actually has never been properly dealt with. But over here we can take the example of Cheonggyecheon in Seol, South Korea. The same river, in 1940, became heavily polluted and because of the health risk it was eventually paved over for sanitation reasons and an elevated freeway was built over it. With the help of massive government effort, the river has been restored and now it is an oasis in a concrete jungle, which acts as a boost to the local biodiversity and economic development.
This example can be an inspiration for the Assam Government in terms of coming out with innovative plans and schemes to restore the Brahmaputra by making it free from waste products. In addition to this, the Assam government can also come out with policies like Rivers for Life Project, currently being implemented by ICLEI Africa, where the government can lay down strict rules and various guiding policies that regulate activities within and near the river. Strict by-laws must also be implemented by the Assam government by relating it to The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) ACT, 1974 and The Environment (Protection) Act, 1984 and also by imposing penalties against those who pollute the river.
Therefore for proper implementation of such policies, a city office for preservation of Brahmaputra can be set up in Guwahati itself and that office’s only work should be to implement the innovative policies taken by the government to prevent Brahmaputra from being polluted - a concept which can be taken from Adis Ababa, an African city.
The second aspect of turning Brahmaputra from emotion in terms of words to reality is its tourism factor. The tourism aspect would not only enhance the beauty of Brahmaputra to a great extent, but would also help the state to flourish in terms of river tourism. No doubt activities like night cruise over the Brahmaputra are available in terms of ‘Alfresco Grand’ and others, but a lot needs to be done in this aspect. To beautify Brahmaputra at night, tall projectors or infrastructures can be constructed with sound system that will not only illuminate the surface water of Brahmaputra by presenting various tales and stories related to the history, mythology and the social aspect of the river, but would also create melodious evenings.
In addition to this, like streetlights, river lights can also be introduced that would further beautify the river and display to the crowd the night travel of passengers by ships, motorboats etc over the Brahmaputra.
Furthermore, Brahmaputra also consists of numerous banks and on these, with proper planning, if seating arrangements are made for the crowd by introducing a minimal fee, that would not only help the government earn revenue but also allow people experience the day and night life over a river.
Brahmaputra is both literally and metaphorically beautiful. And that is the reason it is rightly termed as the emotion of the Assamese community. But in order to convert Brahmaputra as an emotion in the imaginative world to the real world, a little bit of effort has to be put in by both the government and the people in terms of its cleanliness and tourism aspects amalgamated together.
