Breaking: Bethukandi Sluice Gate Breached, River Water Flowing Into Mahisha Beel; “Men At Work, Will Control,” Water Resources

The 2022 flood in Barak Valley was devastating. Bethukandi dyke was breached and the water overflowed the Mahisha Beel a natural reservoir and inundated the whole of Silchar town for several weeks. Since then, the Cachar District administration and several departments of the government of Assam have been chalking out a plan to avoid flooding of that scale in the future. A new dyke was being built to stop the excessive water to flow into Mahisha Beel, but as of now, the sluice gate of that dyke remains open. Around 10 10-inch gap remains under the gate through which water is entering at a very high speed.

Locals of the Mahisha Beel and surrounding areas in Bethukandi are relocating as the Barak River’s water is entering the Mahisha Beel which is already filled with the rainwater of this season. Since the evening efforts were being made to shut the sluice gate using several methods. As the gates were not shutting down, geo bags were used but as of now, it is not working. Water Resources Department and the Cachar District Administration are on vigil to restore the sluice gate to stop the overflow of Barak.

“Yes, we have a situation where the river water is flowing into Mahishabeel through the Sluice Gate. The gate is not shut completely, there is around 10 inches gap at the bottom of the gate through which water is flowing into the beel. It is not an alarming situation yet, we are at work and trying to prevent the water with Geo Bags,” informed Khalik Zaman, Executive Engineer, Water Resources Department, Cachar.

Zaman added, “We are unable to shut the gate due to technical problems. Prima facie, it looks like there is an obstruction at the bottom of the Sluice Gate which is preventing a complete closure.”

It is worth mentioning here that this gate was at the centre of attention in 2022 when an urban deluge of unprecedented nature had inundated the larger part of Silchar. Two years have passed at it has become the centre of attention, anxiety and threat for the people of Silchar.