Sivasagar targets Jamuna clean up completion ahead of monsoon

Dibrugarh: The Sivasagar district administration has intensified efforts ahead of monsoon to complete the cleaning and rejuvenation of the Jamuna water body before the June deadline, with a high-level review on Thursday chaired by district commissioner Mridul Yadav.The meeting, attended by senior officials from multiple departments, took stock of the progress made so far on the Rs 9.27 crore restoration project funded under the State Disaster Management Fund. Of the total 2.9km stretch of the Jamuna canal, cleaning of water hyacinths and aquatic weeds has been completed across 2km. The remaining stretch must be cleared before the onset of heavy rains, which typically accelerate the growth of invasive aquatic vegetation and make such operations harder to carry out.The contractor engaged for the project was directed to accelerate the pace of work and ensure that the cleaning of water hyacinths and aquatic weeds across the entire 2.9km stretch is completed within the June deadline. A target of excavating 33,000 cubic metres of silt has been set for the project. The water resources, public health engineering, public works departments, electricity department and the municipal board were all directed to work in tandem to ensure the timely completion of cleaning operations.

The encroachment problem along the Jamuna’s banks was discussed, with officials directed to identify encroachers for necessary eviction. Notices were issued to 14 families who have been found to be regularly discarding waste into the water body, a practice that has been undermining the restoration bid.