India: Assam River Atlas to be database to tackle floods, erosion, deforestation
By Samudra Gupta Kashyap
A River Atlas that the North Eastern Space Application Centre (NESAC) is currently preparing for the government of Assam, would serve not just as a database of the Brahmaputra and its 100-odd tributaries, but also record deforestation in the region in order to help tackle recurring floods and erosion in the state.
Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who had mooted the idea of preparing this comprehensive database of all major and minor rivers of the state, meanwhile has also asked NESAC to bring quality and quantity of sand and sand-layers in the river-beds within the ambit of the study.
“The project should encompass the depth of sand layers within the parameter of its study, apart from identifying sandbars above the highest flood level (HFL). This, in turn, will us explore the possibility of using the sand-bars as solar parks,” Sonowal, who reviewed the progress of the River Atlas project here on Thursday, said. The Atlas is likely to be released by December this year.
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