Hi-tech navigation for Assam

Hi-tech navigation for Assam
ROOPAK GOSWAMI

Guwahati, June 29: Navigating the Brahmaputra will soon be safer, as the Inland Waterways Authority of India is installing the Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) at three points in the river in Assam.

“The DGPS provides accurate navigation and is very crucial in a river like Brahmaputra where the channels are always changing,” an inland waterways official said.

The three locations are in Jogighopa, Tezpur and Dibrugarh for which tenders are being issued.
“At present, we have the Global Positioning System (GPS) but the DGPS is more accurate,” the official said.

But how will the system help?
“In most of the reaches, there are many channels separated by islands and bars. When the water level rises, a large number of bars and islands are submerged and in case of major floods they may disappear entirely. The pattern of channels changes frequently, especially during floods, accompanied by extensive erosion along the banks,” the official explianed.

At many places along the river, there are submerged rocks, strong currents, sharp bends and steep gradients, especially in the Upper Assam stretches.

The official said any wrong movement by a vessel on the river could lead to accidents.
There are 32 locations on the river, which is also the national waterway number 2 where it is more or less stable.

Tenders had been called and the systems would soon be installed, the official said.
The official added that towers will have to be fitted and there will be a separate office for staff also.

“With Numaligarh Refinery Ltd moving huge amounts of cargo through the river to Bangladesh, it is time that the waterways authorities improved navigation on the river, so that other companies also use the route,” the official said.

The waterways authority also approved an action plan to make National Waterway 2 fully operational by 2009, subject to the availability of funds.

The waterways authorities will also install shore beacons and lighted buoys to maintain seamless navigation on the river.

The Dhubri-Sadiya stretch (891km) of the Brahmaputra was declared as National Waterway 2 in 1988. There are floating terminals at Dhubri, Jogighopa, Pandu, Tezpur, Silghat, Jamguri, and Neamatighat. source: telegraph india

Dams of danger

Dams of danger

The aggravating flood situation in upper Assam following release of excess water from the Ranganadi hydel project has raised serious questions over the viability of big dams in the region, especially in the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra basin in Arunachal Pradesh. Environmental scientists and activists have decried the Centre’s plan to go ahead with as many as 168 large hydro-electric projects in the region on the ground that the basic concerns before initiating such a large-scale intervention on the fragile Himalayan ecology were largely ignored. Indeed, the hurried manner in which the projects are sought to be pushed through without addressing the genuine concerns such as downstream impacts in the form of floods, loss of biodiversity, seismic vulnerability of the region, etc., seems to corroborate the stance of the opponents of big dams. The situation is certainly grave, and calls for a reassessment of the Centre’s hydro-power policy for the North-East. The opposition of the scientific community has been that the projects are being cleared without a thorough study on any of the environmental and social concerns and the downstream impacts. This is valid reasoning and brushing it aside would only jeopardise the lives of thousands of people likely to be affected by the dams. A riparian State like Assam stands to be the worst-hit by the projects, and we have already been victims of dam-induced floods several times in the recent past. Making large-scale intervention on the Himalayan ecology could also lead to catastrophic consequences for its rich biodiversity. The way pristine wildlife habitats are disappearing across the planet, protection of a biodiversity hotspot is a concern of not just the North-East or India but of the entire world. While the proponents of the hydro-power policy would argue that it is the best way to get cheap, non-polluting power so critical for development, the question left unanswered is that the colossal social and environmental costs of these mega dams could effectively negate all the benefits. The circumstances are compelling, and the Assam Government would do well to engage the Centre in a dialogue on the issue before projects are given the nod. Scientific study done by impartial agencies involving top environmental scientists must precede construction of any big hydel project in the North-East. It is a fact that the environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports of the projects cleared so far have been shoddy and give grossly underestimated presentations of the environmental and socio-economic losses. The Assam Government can no longer afford to sit complacent, and must compel the Centre to intervene in the desired manner. While we say that flood is our biggest problem, the question is – can we allow anything that can worsen it further? Source: assamtribune editorial 24.06.08

Brahma hits back at Hagrama

Brahma hits back at Hagrama

From our CorrespondentKOKRAJHAR, June 12: Former Rajya Sabha MP and leader of BPPF, UG Brahma today slammed BTC chief and BPF president Hagrama Mohilary for his slanderous attack on him in public meetings and government functions.In a press meet held at party head office here, Brahma said Hagrama Mohilary was violating the peoples’ code of conduct under Peoples’ Representative Act of 1950. He said, it is a common thing for Mohilary to use provocative and unparliamentary statements in public and government programmes against him and BPPF president Rabiram Narzary. The speech of Mohilary in the inaugural ceremony of Purbojhora sub divison on June 10 was like an election rally, where he spoke against him and Rabiram Narzary. Brahma said, Mohilary had admitted his involvement in the killings of NDFB while he was the chairman of the BLT but with a view to make himself a ‘guilty-free’ person in the eyes of NDFB, he is trying to blame Brahma as dictator of BLT. He said, he was the president of ABSU at that time and had worked for the solution of NDFB-BLT clashes. But Brahma asked how could Mohilary as the head of a militant outfit could follow the diktats of another?Brahma continuing his argument said that the present activities, movements and regular visits to other countries without official agendas by Mohilary undoubtedly proves his connection with international terrorist groups. The Government should be serious about the matter, he said. The president of BPPF, Rabiram Narzary said Mohilary’s provocative statements in a public meeting held at Bagribari recently is to remain in power at BTC for another ten years by any means, which is a threat to the people and murder of democracy. He also said, Mohilary must be arrested for his unlawful activities including unparliamentary statements against himself and UG Brahma. Narzary also said that Mohilary is using the concept of Lora Roja’s rule in BTC. He also said that the allegations of Mohilary against UG Brahma were baseless and politically motivated as BPPF is not using

‘Brahmaputra Board has failed to protect Majuli from floods’

‘Brahmaputra Board has failed to protect Majuli from floods’

From A Correspondent JORHAT, June 10 – Once welcomed as the saviour of the people in Majuli subdivision, the Brahmaputra Board has quickly fallen out of favour, apparently due to its failure to control the twin problems of floods and erosion in the river island. The Central agency, which has been entrusted with executing anti-erosion schemes to save the seat of satriya culture since 2004, stands accused of wasting huge funds and delivering nothing on the ground.Venting ire on the style of functioning of the Brahmaputra Board, office-bearers of All Assam Students’ Union on Saturday maintained that it has not been able to secure permanent protection for a single part of Majuli during the last four years. Given the task of implementing the three-phase anti-erosion project, valued at Rs 86 crore, the Board has already spent Rs 41 crore on the first two phases without even completing half of the works, president of All Jorhat District Students’ Union Biren Saikia told reporters here.Serving an ultimatum on the Brahmaputra Board, the Jorhat AASU unit asked it to work with a sense of purpose and on an urgent basis. “As of now, we feel that the top brass of the Board has been hand in glove with local contractors in misappropriating the government funds,” Saikia, who hails from Majuli, said. The Board will be held solely responsible if any disaster occurs in the island in the coming rainy season. “This will leave us with no other option than to demand the eviction of the Board itself,” the AJDSU president warned.Pointing out the anomalies in the nature of the anti-erosion works, Saikia said that at least two contractors left their projects half-way, forcing the Board authorities to call fresh tenders. He also questioned the fate of the five new schemes for installation of RCC porcupines at Bessamara, Kamalabari, Bhakat Chapori-Pokimuri, Bengenati and Sumoimari-Bhogpur which were approved in March this year. A sum of Rs 4.99 crore has been sanctioned for these schemes.The AJDSU president stressed that work on these schemes got under way only recently contrary to the Jorhat Deputy Commissioner’s claim in April that the work had already been initiated then. The completion of the schemes within their respective timeframes will not be possible in the next two months as the monsoon season will set in, he argued. AASU assistant general secretary Nilofar Rahman said that the master plan prepared by the Brahmaputra Board for the protection of the geographical area of Majuli was itself a half-done exercise as it did not include south and lower parts of the island. He called for a new strategy on the part of the Brahmaputra Board to control floods and erosion. AJDSU general secretary Dhrubajyoti Hazarika flayed the alleged inaction on the part of the local MP and MLA with regard to the issue. Training their guns on the Chief Minister, the AASU activists said that despite Gogoi’s announcement in September last year that the State Water Resources Department and the Brahmaputra Board would work together to protect the island, there were no immediate signs of such cooperation between the two agencies. They also sounded sceptical on the assurances made by Union Minister of Water Resources Saifuddin Soz during his visit to Majuli last year.