Unlike in the past, release of water from Bhutan Kurichhu dam has not led to severe flooding along the villages in Assam’s Baksa and Chirang districts. This has been made possible following regulated and controlled release of water from Kurichhu Hydropower Plant.
Assam Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma disclosed that the Government of Assam had urged the Bhutan Government to release water from the dam in a ‘controlled way’ in the morning hours, instead of at night. Coordinated efforts with authorities in Bhutan have ensured no flash flood in villages along the Bhutan foothills in Assam. Several rivers in Assam were in spate on Friday, including the Beki, which emanates from Bhutan and flows through Assam’s Baksa and Barpeta districts.
The state government had sounded a high alert on Thursday night after the Bhutan Government informed that there would be release of water from the reservoir.
Sarma further said that the government has taken up flood mitigation projects like channelling excess water from the Brahmaputra river into wetlands. ‘Additional water from the Brahmaputra river has been drained into the Deepor Beel wetland,’ the Chief Minister said, adding that measures like building road cum embankments have also prevented breaches. The Chief Minister revealed that the idea to channelise excess water from the river into the Deepor Beel has been mooted by Union Home Minister, Amit Shah.
Sarma inspected the ongoing sculpting work of the statue of great military general of the Ahom army, Lachit Barphukan at Ghaziabad. The Chief Minister visited Ram Sutar Fine Arts Private Limited at Ghaziabad on Saturday evening to oversee the construction of the massive statue of the legendary warrior, which is around 80 metres in height.
The Government of Assam entrusted the prestigious project to Padma Bhushan awardee Ram Vanji Sutar. Chief Minister Dr.Sarma appreciated the eminent sculptor for being so passionate despite his ripe age of 98 years. The state government went about in its mission to erect a giant statue of Lachit Barphukan, who crushed the formidable Mughals in the great Battle of Saraighat in 1671, following instruction from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the concluding function of the 400th birth anniversary of the great warrior in the national capital in November last year.
Sutar designed the Statue of Unity which is the world’s tallest statue with a height of 182 metres (597 feet), exceeding the Spring Temple Buddha by 54 metres.
The Lachit Barphukan statue is expected to be completed this year.
