As part of efforts to prevent annual floods in Assam, a pilot project to divert water from the Brahmaputra and its tributaries during the monsoon will be initiated soon, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said today.
Preventing annual floods in Assam was among the BJP's key promises ahead of the state polls this year in which the party returned to power.
Speaking to the media in Shillong, Mr Sarma said the project will be launched by the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC) in Dhemaji district and that water will be diverted to wetlands to prevent floods.
The Meghalaya-based NESAC is a joint initiative of the Department of Space and the North Eastern Council and is tasked with addressing geographic challenges in the region through space mapping technology.
A special meeting of NESAC was held on Saturday in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah who was on a visit to Meghalaya.
Mr Sarma said the decision regarding the launch of the pilot project was taken during this meeting.
"As a pilot project, they have identified certain regions in Dhemaji district where excess water from Brahmaputra River can be diverted during the monsoon," he said Sunday.
Dhemaji is among the most flood prone areas in Assam. Last June, floods in the district affected over 15,000 people across 61 villages and damaged crops spread across 3,474 hectares.
Last week, Mr Sarma had said experts of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and NESAC have identified over 5,000 sq km of wetlands where excess water from the Brahmaputra can be diverted during the monsoon to prevent floods.
In the run-up to the Assembly polls in Assam earlier this year, Home Minister Shah had said in a rally that the centre will identify wetlands and waterbodies through satellite mapping and divert Brahmaputra's water there to prevent flooding.
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