The Brahmaputra Board has launched the Basistha Riverfront Development Project in Guwahati with the aim of rejuvenating a section of the Basistha river that has suffered years of environmental degradation due to indiscriminate dumping of solid waste.
According to an official statement, the project will cover the river stretch adjoining the Brahmaputra Board headquarters in the Basistha area. The initiative was inaugurated on Friday by Brahmaputra Board Chairman Ranbir Singh in the presence of local residents, senior citizens and officials.
The project has been undertaken to address the deteriorating condition of the left bank road-cum-embankment near the Board campus, which had gradually become a dumping ground for solid waste. The unchecked accumulation of waste had led to foul odour, mosquito breeding, environmental damage and growing public health concerns in the locality.
Under the project, development activities will be carried out along an approximately 370-metre stretch of the river. The proposed works include landscaping and plantation, development of green spaces, pedestrian walkways, viewing areas, riverbank protection measures, and improvements in sanitation and waste management facilities.
The initiative also seeks to enhance biodiversity while creating a cleaner, more accessible and environmentally sustainable public space for residents.
For the planning and design of the project, the Brahmaputra Board has collaborated with the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).
Officials said the riverfront development programme is expected to serve as a model for similar river rejuvenation and riverfront improvement initiatives along other stretches of the Basistha river in the future.
Originating in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya, the Basistha river flows through parts of Guwahati before joining Deepor Beel, an important wetland ecosystem. The river also passes through Basistha Ashram, a major Hindu pilgrimage centre in the region.
