Gujarat Confidential: Creek Flood Menace

Surat Municipal Commissioner Shalini Agrawal will now head a high-powered Creek Flood Prevention Committee, earlier headed by Surat District Collector Sourabh Pardhi. Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut is also a part of the committee comprising officials from the Irrigation department, Revenue department, and the district panchayat. After some parts of city were inundated in the creek floods during the first week of July, Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Paatil held a meeting with the SMC commissioner, District Collector, officials of the Irrigation, Road and Building department and District Panchayat, and instructed them to come up with proper solutions to get rid of the menace of creek flood. The committee’s work involves identifying illegal structures on the banks or margin areas of the Mithi creeks, pinpointing pressure points where the creek becomes narrow and determining the reasons. Suggestions were also made to the committee to go ahead with dredging and silting work in the creeks.