Borchola Beel. Picture by S.H. Patgiri

Dec. 30: A non-governmental organisation named Solabeel Unnayan Samity has come up with a slew of dos and don’ts for restoration of Borchola Beel, a long-neglected water body in the heart of the city.

The NGO lauded the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) for making efforts to protect the beel (lake), but said certain aspects need to be taken cognisance. It listed 10 suggestions for “proper restoration and reclamation” of the water body, spread over 68 bighas in Paltan Bazar.

The organisation suggested that the lake be developed into an arena for water sports like swimming and rowing instead of allowing restaurants or a shopping arcade to be set up on its periphery.

“Such construction will disturb the ecological balance of the beel,” it said.

Suggesting preventive measures to stop further growth of water hyacinth in the water body, the NGO made a case for removing sludge with a dredger instead of labour.

“Manual removal of sludge does not yield the desired result and leads to wastage of public money,” the secretary of the organisation, Biplabananda Choudhury, said.

The NGO said the boundary wall on the eastern side should be reconstructed after proper demarcation of the beel. It suggested construction of underground drains on either side of the lake. “The drains should not be with Hume pipes, whose durability is less,” it added.

According to the NGO, construction of a road along the boundary wall should begin only after encroachers are evicted from the periphery of the beel. “Construction of the boundary road is a must to protect the wetland and to preserve and develop its periphery. “

Another suggestion is that the wholesale fish market and the Mani Kumar Subba Bhaban of the Assam Gorkha Sanmelan should be shifted from the vicinity of the beel.

The NGO also wants construction of the proposed Yatri Niwas of the Assam Tourism Development Corporation to be stalled.

“A portion of the beel can be filled up and converted into a children park,” it said.

The GMDA plans to develop the beel in phases. The project, undertaken with funds earmarked by the 11th Finance Commission, envisages cleansing the beel of water hyacinth, removal of sludge and development of infrastructure like connecting roads, sluice gates, plantations and landscaping. Recreational facilities are in the pipeline, too.

In the foreword to its list of suggestions, the Solabeel Unnayan Samity said restoration of the beel was necessary “in view of its high biological and aesthetic importance in maintaining the ecological equilibrium of nature in and around the city”.