Assam announces super body for flood

Guwahati, Sep 10 (UNI) Assam today announced a super body to manage the floods in the state and named it 'Assam Flood and Erosion Commission'.

''The commission will look into the long range solution to the flood problem and not touch the day-to-day affairs of the water resource department,'' Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi told a news conference here today.

''Mr Bhaskar Barua will be the Chairman of the commission. The commission will look into why a particular river behaves in a certain manner and what could be done(to tackle it). It may try to predict the change of course of rivers also,'' he said.

Mr Barua is former secretary, Government of India and belongs to the Assam Cadre.

Terming the floods as 'horrific', the Chief Minister said Lakhimpur and Majuli areas were the worst affected.

''The current is so high that no engine boats could be pressed into service till now and we have asked the army and BSF to assist the administration,'' he said.

Mr Gogoi, accepting the fact that Assam has to live with floods, said the Commission should guide the present Water Resource Department of the state government on how to minimise the devastation and reclaim the newly formed river islands.

Breach at Matmora in Lakhimpur district last night had complicated matters and the Chief Minister expressed concern over the situation in Majuli. ''I am worried over Lakhimpur and Majuli.

We are in constant touch with the Deputy Commissioner and sending in relief,'' he said.

He accepted that the third wave would be catasrophic. ''The flood would damage all standing crops and after the water recedes, new plantation would be difficult. But we are providing the seeds also,'' he said.

''Bamboo houses should be built on high platforms so that water cannot damage these. The Mishing people are expert on that. All the riverine chars which have become permanent should be reclaimed and people should move in there. There is no other way,'' he said.

Encouraging people to adapt to the situation he blamed engineers for not taking timely action which could have prevented a change of course of a river.

''Sometime application of common sense can yield better results than the technocrats. If you remove the newly created small islands at a formative stage, the river would continue on the main stream.

But if you do not, then obviously the river will change its course and create devastation,'' he said.

UNI