The Kamrup (M) district administration will come up with a Rs 250 crore project for conservation and restoration of the Deepor Beel under the Guwahati Smart City Mission.
The project involves improving the water quality of the Deepor Beel by installing a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), conserving the ecological biodiversity of the famed site by proper wetland demarcation, maintaining the flood attenuation capacity of the Beel, besides undertaking works to attract tourists to the Ramsar Site, The Assam Tribune reported.
“As per the Smart City Proposal (SCP) document submitted to the Ministry of Urban Development, a total project cost of Rs 250 crore has been allotted for the Deepor Beel project. As a first step towards creating awareness about the wetland, a few works are proposed as part of the Phase I development,” the newspaper quoted Dr Angamuthu as saying.
They include retrofitting of the existing watch tower area, taking up required road refurbishing and lighting along the Pamohi road and development of a new boarding point for boat rides.
“The objective is to protect the wetland while establishing development limits to protect valuable biotopes and creating water safety for our inhabitants. We want to take up the project keeping in mind both the needs for urban development and conservation of nature,” said the DC.
Work will be taken up for a viewing deck, children’s playing area, feature wall, science zone, water cooler, sitting areas, parking place, shops and temporary food stalls, among other things.
Besides, the plan also includes a provision for one-time removal of water weeds manually or mechanically and conversion of the removed weeds into biocompost or vermicompost.
For treatment of the lake, regular application of microbes is proposed.