Boulder bundh at Jwalimukh becomes the sorrow of two districts

OUR CORRESPONDENT MANGALDAI: The devastating flood caused by the rising water of River Nonoi and River Saktola (River Kulsi in the upstream) in the large areas of Darrang district is a reflection of the ‘indifferent attitude and failure of the State Government’, particularly of the Water Resources Department to take immediate steps to reconstruct the boulder bundh at the source of the both rivers in the foothills of Bhutan. Both the rivers flowing down from the Himalayan ranges in Bhutan touch the Indian border at Jwalimukh adjacent to the Khalingdwar Reserve Forest in the Udalguri district. Though both the rivers are flowing differently with its own streams to merge with the Brahmaputra in Darrang district traversing through the areas of Udalguri, Panery, Kalaigaon, Mangaldai and Sipajhar LAC of Udalguri and Darrang district, in 1988 the stream of turbulent River Nonoi merged with River Kulsi which created unprecedented devastating flood in Darrang district, submerging even Mangaldai town under flood water.

The breach of the embankments of both the rivers in several stretches created a massive devastation for which all the patients of Mangaldai Civil Hospital were to the Tangla 30-bedded hospital overnight. Villagers of large areas were marooned for several days and the district administration had no alternative but to air drop the food items using a four-seater aeroplane owned by a tea company. On the other hand, the highway and other high lands where flood-affected distressed people were taking shelter were also inundated which compelled the district administration to supply cooked food instead of ration among the flood-affected people.

Even after witnessing this unprecedented flood havoc, the government and the Water Resource Department miserably failed to take initiative for construction of the bundh at Jwalimukh in spite of repeated appeals made by cross-section of the villagers of both the districts. Finding no alternative, a large number of villagers constructed a boulder dam in 1988 with their own money and labour. On seeing this, the State Government sanctioned an amount of Rs 98 lakh that year and the Water Resource Department in the same year constructed the boulder bundh, which finally gave relief to the people of both the districts.

However, due to the alleged indifferent attitude of the Water Resource Department to undertake regular monitoring and maintenance, the bundh again got breached in 1995 and the department took three long years for its repair in 1998. Unfortunately, the boulder bundh at Jwalimukh again got breached in 2019. The Water Resource Department again failed to reconstruct it till date, which is cause of this unprecedented flood havoc, particularly in the areas of Kalaigaon, Sipajhar and Mangaldai LAC areas.

According to an official of Water Resource Department, this year a small stream of River Bhola and another stream of a canal in the upstream merged with River Kulsi which added more volume of water to River Kulsi. Mangaldai Parliamentarian Dilip Saikia on June 2 last year assured a delegation of journalists to visit Jwalimukh along with the Speaker of Assam Legislative Assembly, Biswajit Daimary, all the legislators, Deputy Commissioners of both the districts and the officials of Water Resource Department within June 10, 2021. But that assurance never saw the light of the day.

As per the instruction of Darrang Deputy Commissioner, District Development Commissioner of Darrang , Subhalaxmi Deka visited the remote location twice and submitted a report to the government in 2021. But the government or the department is yet to take any steps regarding re-construction of the dam. Also Read: Assam flood scene: Death toll keeps rising Also Watch:.