German experts to tame Brahmaputra

The Assam government has roped in a group of German experts for finding a long-term solution to the decades-old problem of floods and erosion caused by the Brahmaputra and its tributaries. A preliminary report has been prepared and submitted to the government by the group.

The state is also looking at channeling the Brahmaputra with the help of the Eurpoean Commission,and an integrated water resources management project called BrahmaTwinn is already underway to address this issue. Named after the Brahmaputra basin and the Twinning basin (in Europe),this project has developed a Decision Information Support Tool mechanism for dissemination of information on the Brahmaputra basin,official sources said.

Last week,CM Tarun Gogoi had complained that all measures taken to tackle floods and river-bank erosion have been ad hoc,with specific projects taken in isolation. “We must put an end to ad hocism and adopt a holistic approach to tackle the mighty river,” Gogoi said. The Brahmaputra and its tributaries have eroded over four lakh hectares of land,leaving thousands of people homeless in the process in the last 60 years. After the devastating earthquake of 1950 changed the very character and course of the river,crores of rupees have been spent with no significant results.