Guwahati's prominent wetland Borsola Beel tells a saga of neglect and encroachment woes

Guwahati's growth as a bustling metropolis is clearly taking a toll on its wetlands. The city boasts of some natural wetlands which have acted as a drainage system for the city's storm water and drainage water into rivers like the Brahmaputra. However, the piling up the city's waste and also releasing its waste and sewage directly into the city's lakes, rivers, rivulets is taking a toll on its natural water bodies or the wetlands. One such wetland is the Borsola Beel lake. 

Over the decades, Borsola Beel has presented a sorry picture of neglect by the authorities even though attempts have been made in the past to develop the area.

The Borsola Beel is located in the middle of Guwahati city, approximately 750 meters southwest of the Guwahati Railway Station by the road. It lies next to Paltanbazar and is sandwiched between Chatribari and Rehabari, as it makes way through Chabipool and joins the Bharalu river, and ultimately merges in the Brahmaputra. For many, it is the largest natural wetland within the area of the main Guwahati city. 

Borsola Beel is connected with a number of drains at various locations through secondary and tertiary drains, though a majority of discharge is received through the culvert near Nepali Mandir. As per estimates, Borsola Beel takes in about one third of Guwahati's drainage water which includes sewage wastes and other chemically toxic pollutants. 

Ironically, for a project that was on the first item of Guwahati's Smart City agenda, Borsola Beel today presents a sorry picture, with the lake reduced to just a highly polluted drain. And this is not just the case of Borsola Beel. The Sorusola Beel in the city is also the victim of this same narration. 

"The Beel today is in a very sorry state. It has been continuously neglected by the authorities which has led to it becoming a highly polluted water body. Several attempts and projects were announced in the past, but no fruition came out of it. And today people are just dejected that nothing concrete could take place in all these years," said Anupam Nath, a photojournalist and a resident of Chatribari Bilpar by the side of the Borsola Beel. 

For Nath and many others who live by its side, the dreams of developing the Borsola Beel never really took off, inspite of many announcements being made in the past. 

Borsola Beel witnessed a development drive in 2003 when a grand plan was launched to develop the lake into a tourism cum-recreational hub. The Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) undertook the project under the 11th Finance Commission award. Under the project, cleaning of water hyacinth was done and sidewalks were constructed on either sides of the Beel with the intention of creating a joggers' lane. There were also plans for removal of sludge, developing the infrastructure and so on.  However, none of it further materialised. The sidewalks which were created soon fell into disuse as portions of it collapsed, shocking the locals. Today the sidewalks lie in a dilapidated state, with portions of them having collapsed, and people dumping garbage over them. 

The issue of water hyacinth continues to plague the Borsola Beel. Cleaning of the water hyacinth is undertaken about twice a year by the authorities, but nothing more is done beyond that. And this is why a highly invasive marine plant like the water hyacinth continues to cover large portions of the lake at regular intervals. 

The 2007 National Games in Assam also presented an opportunity for the development of the Beel. However, that too did not materialise into anything. 

"There was a proposal to develop the Beel and organise the water sport events at the Beel, in the middle of the city. However, that did not happen and the events were taken and held at the Saron Beel lake in Morigaon," said Anupam Nath. 

Interestingly, Borsola Beel's development is the first agenda under Guwahati's Smart City project. Development of Borsol Beel under the smart city project involves the development of sewage treatment plant and associated infrastructure as well as landscaping and other works along the lake. As per reports, the entire project for the development of the Borsola Beel was budgeted at Rs 120 crores.

However, the hopes of the development of the Borsola Beel remain unfulfilled even under the smart city project. In fact, social worker Biplobananda Choudhury, who has been associated with the struggle to keep the Beel encroachment free, said that he enquired a few years ago regarding the lag in the work for developing the Beel. Choudhury was told that the project for Borsola Beel has been cancelled due to the paucity of funds. 

"I was shocked to hear it. How can a project sanctioned under such a big scheme be cancelled because there are no funds? There were funds released for the purpose of the development. Where did all the money go?" questioned Choudhury. 

Biplobananda Choudhury is also the man who filed the PIL due to which the Gauhati High Court gave the directive in the year 2000 to the effect that the Beel should be properly preserved and kept free of pollution. 

"Encroachment has been a big threat to this Beel over the many years. This Beel used to be much larger than what it is today. Today however, the area has been reduced to its present state of 65 bighas. Increase of population and development work such as the railway line reduced the area of the Beel over the years. But still it is a large area and is much larger than Guwahati's famous Dighalipukhuri. However, the present condition of the Beel is quite deplorable," said Choudhury. 

Choudhury had filed the PIL in the High Court seeking preservation and protection of the Beel, after no proper action came from the government against encroachment in the areas. As per Choudhury, the authorities of the day had allotted portions of the Beel area to certain organisations for which they had even marked their territories with bamboo poles over the Beel water, where eventually they were to do land filling and build their buildings. Soon a decision was passed by the authorities whereby these allotments were declared illegal and they were ordered to be cancelled. However, no proper action came in from the government even after that.

Following the PIL, the High Court ruled in favour of Choudhury and instructed the government to ensure the protection and preservation of the Beel area, which was also pushed to be declared as a reserved wetland. 

However, Choudhury feels that the court directive has not been honoured by the authorities and successive governments have also failed to return the status of the Beel area to the boundaries that existed prior to the encroachments. No concrete efforts were made to make the Beel pollution free or develop the area as a tourist spot. What particularly worries Choudhury is the government's plans to create a waste treatment plant at the site of the old fish market in Paltanbazar right next to the Beel periphery.

"The old fish market had also been set up after encroachment of the Beel areas. Plus it was also spreading a lot of pollution into the waters. However, now the spot remains cleared, but we have heard that the government is planning to dump the city's garbage there and treat it by setting up a sewage treatment plan. There is also a signboard at the spot with the mention of a proposed bio methane plant. If that happens then it will be a violation of the High Court ruling of 2000. The fish market was removed as a result of the court ruling as it was set up in violation of a reserved wetland area. They cannot build a waste treatment plant on the same spot now," said Choudhury. 

Choudhury further questioned the plans to dump garbage in the midst of the city and create a sewage treatment plant within the area of a reserved wetland.

"Also the proposal to build a garbage treatment plant seems like hogwash to us. We suspect it might be just a ploy of the authorities to create a large garbage dumping spot within the city limits, which is convenient for them. If that happens it will be quite detrimental to the local residents and also a violation of the High Court order which had clearly stated that the Beel periphery must be preserved and protected," he said.

Choudhury's fears have basis as currently the Beel water is highly polluted, with garbage being dumped at several fronts of the Beel. Also on the eastern side of the Beel which lies towards Paltanbazar, heavy dumping of garbage which comes through pipes from various parts of the city has resulted in gathering of sludge. So much sludge has accumulated over the years that now the water is slowly receding from the area, giving rise to the ground level.

"This is creating fertile grounds for fresh encroachment. Once the water completely recedes and the ground level goes higher, people will try to grab the newly formed land and encroach upon it. We might even be heading towards a Silsako Beel like scenario down the years, if something is not done about it," said Anupam Nath. 

Local residents are also disheartened at the current scenario of the Borsola Beel as there is possibility to develop it as a tourist hot spot, which can generate revenue for the government as well as the people.  

"The situation of the Beel is quite disheartening. This is a natural wetland and also used to attract migratory birds years ago. Now all the pollution and filthy garbage around has made that a thing of the past. If this Beel area is developed, then it can be a bigger hot post for tourists and recreational activities than Dighalipukhuri in Guwahati. And Borsola Beel has a considerably larger area than Dighalipukhuri. But so far only half-hearted efforts have been made, and we are losing out on a great opportunity to create a tourist attraction," said Pradip Hazarika, a retired government servant. 

The authorities, meanwhile, also dont seem to have much of an immediate plan to restore and develop the Beel area. Guwahati Mayor Mrigen Sarania, when contacted regarding the status of the Beel, said that the development initiative of the Beel is no longer under the Smart City Project but instead will be taken up by the GMDA. 

Speaking to India Today NE, Sarania said that the development work for the Borsola Beel could not materialise as priority was given to other projects such development of the Brahmaputra riverfront. 

"The project will be taken under GMDA now. It is no longer under the Smart City plan as priority had to be given to major projects such as the riverfront. The GMDA will carve out a plan to develop the wetlands and water bodies of the Guwahati area such as the Borsojai and Sorusojai lakes. Borsola Beel will also fall under the same plan when it gets going," said Sarania. 

However, when asked about the timeframe as to when the new ambitious plan under the GMDA would start, the Guwahati Mayor said that it is yet to be decided and planning is going on. 

The Guwahati Smart City authorities on their part confirmed that the Borsola Beel has indeed been removed from the list of projects under their ambit. The authorities also clarified that the funding which had come in for the projects during the initial phase got cancelled along with the cancellation of the projects. 

"The Borsola Beel project no longer falls under our ambit. We are currently doing ten projects and eleven projects are in the pipeline. The entire mission cost is within a limit of a thousand crores, and hence we are not taking any more projects which may increase the cost limit beyond that," said Mugdhajyoti Dev Mahanta, Deputy Managing Director of the Guwahati Smart City Limited.

However, Mahanta could not confirm to India Today NE as to what were the reasons for dropping Borsola Beel or other projects from the ambit of the smart city mission. 

Now with the smart city mission no longer taking care of the development of Borsola Beel or other wetlands and water bodies in Guwahati, the ball is now in the court of the GMDA. It is now to be seen how GMDA approaches the development of these water bodies which long have beared the brunt of pollution and encroachment. 

The last attempt at developing the Borsola Beel by the GMDA in 2003 ended in a disaster. This new attempt, if it materialises, will be a litmus test for the GMDA in harnessing the true potential of Guwahati's wetlands as a viable tourist hotspot.