Irrigation & Flood chief inspects project sites; rivers

Staff Reporter
Dimapur, May 21

Parliamentary Secretary for Irrigation & Flood Control Jacob Zhimomi on Thursday toured various sites of projects the department is undertaking in and around Dimapur. He was accompanied by departmental officials. The parliamentary secretary inspected the activities of the department in more than five areas including Zukihe and Shozukhu villages, Chate river bank, Domokhia village, Kughovi village, Christian Institute of science and Health Research (CIHSR), and Murise village’s project, and Urra village.
The places which he visited are said to be affected by soil erosion and threatening the local inhabitants. After visiting the sites, Jacob Zhimomi said during a short briefing that that the department will plan various measures to overcome the problems at hand and without delay. He said that the bank revetment works would be undertaken soon along Chate river bank while the river embankment constructed at the CIHSR site will also be checked after additional bulwarks are in place.
Upon seeing the river depth going up near the CIHSR, Zhimomi appealed to land owners and local villagers of the area to stop extraction riverbed materials for at least two to three seasons. That way, ‘unwanted problems’ would be thwarted. He said measures are needed to control the extraction of materials as the activity will create more soil erosion. He also requested the authorities of the health center to check waste disposal by identifying an alternative solution with immediately. The disposal is causing health hazards for the area, he said.
‘Problems of soil erosion and irrigation and flood-related problems happening within the state will be discussed and solutions will be found at the earliest; the problems inflicting Dhansari and the Chate river will be discussed at the earliest with neighboring Assam, ‘ he said.
During the briefing, Zhimomi also called upon his department officials to tie up with other departments such as the Agriculture and Horticulture departments before undertaking projects. He said every project should be ‘people-oriented benefit project’. Duplication of projects should not be allowed as there had been an instance where credit was given to villages or other departments while the actual work was undertaken by some other department.
In other matters, Zhimomi informed that his department plans to have a ‘hydrology section’ from which studies about the climate including rainfall and the river systems in Nagaland would be undertaken.
A brief report from the chief engineer of Irrigation & Flood control of Kohima states that the proposed work sites fall on the left and right banks of Chathe River, from 4th Mile to the confluence of Dhansiri River totaling to 39 work sites at different locations within the river’s stretch of 17.92 kilometers.
The report states that an area of 822.35 hectares comprising fertile agricultural land, immovable assets and properties, and industrial units on both banks will be protected.
The estimated project cost is said to be Rs. 4454.642 Lakhs, according to the chief engineer’s report.