GUWAHATI, the premier city of Assam and the gateway to the Northeast, is not only important for its strategic location but also for its bio-geographical features. It has a peculiar topography being surrounded by hills, and the impression of a hilly place in the midst of plains exhibits a rare picturesque spectacle. An enduring landscape, coupled with hills and forests, and the great river Brahmaputra flowing through the middle of the city, make Guwahati a truly eco-sensitive zone. The city is blessed with an amazing variety of flora and fauna. Mother Nature seems to be extra generous towards Guwahati.

The city has a unique physiographic setting with a diverse harmony of population, culture, trade and commerce. It has made a rapid progress ever since the state capital was transferred from Shillong. More so, in the mid-1990s due to the opening up of the economy, Guwahati turned into a major hub of business and education. Its traditional culture mingling with the cosmopolitan nature gives it a completely new dimension. Though Guwahati is located in one of the most backward regions of the country, it has been able to keep pace with the changing trend along with the other metros of the country. The wind of change is blowing everywhere, be it in shopping malls, community living, food and lifestyle. No doubt, Guwahati is shining but at what cost, remains to be seen.

We are proud to be Guwahatians, but not always for the right reason. The fact of the matter is, whether the development is sustainable and eco-friendly or not. Guwahati is endowed with natural beauty, but horizontal and vertical expansion has pushed the city’s natural beauty up to the brink of disaster. Being an environmentalist, I feel nostalgic whenever I stroll around the city to catch a glimpse of its natural surrounding, more so, when I was recently involved in the survey of the leopard pocket in and around the city. People wonder how Guwahati will shape itself in the coming years, but I prefer to think how much Guwahati can offer to its people, because it has already crossed the carrying capacity due to population explosion.

Guwahati has as much as 19 reserve forests and three proposed reserve forests. The Amchang wildlife sanctuary (795 sq km), comprising parts of Khanapara, Amchang and South Amchang and home to 44 species of mammals and 250 species of birds, is a wildlife bliss. But slowly and steadily, this sanctuary has been eroding due to large-scale encroachment and the stone quarries in the area. Such illegal functioning in the core area has made everybody in the wildlife circle and the people of the city in general, question the reason behind such malpractices even after declaring it a wildlife sanctuary in 2004.

Guwahati also has 18 hills right within its municipal area, which not only add beauty to the city’s landscape, but also helps in the maintenance of a sound environment. They are also an essential source of fresh water. There are as many as 75 villages in the hills, majority of which are inhabited by the tribal living a nomadic life. The speedy but unplanned urbanization and the phenomenal growth of population (12 lakh plus according to 2001 census) over the past three decades have resulted in continuous and large-scale conversion of land from non-urban use, leading to rampant encroachment in the hills and the shrinkage of forest cover. The total forest cover in the hills is now a meagre 13.60 per cent — out of 7,023 hectares of hills, 2,642 hectares fall under reserve forests. And as per statistical data, almost 1,640 hectares of city’s reserve forests are under encroachment.

Stray leopards, particularly in Fatasil, Gotanagar, Nilachal, Narakashur, Kalaphar hills, and Amchang reserve forest, have often met with tragic ends. The monkey menace is a common phenomenon which creates havoc around the city. The man-elephant encounters in the outskirts of the city, in areas such as Rani-Garbhanga and Panbari, are a grim reminder of the situation. Even today, one can hear the cuckoo sing, indicating the change of season. The cries of foxes make their presence felt and the grazing of deer in patches is a rare sight for the Guwahatians. The Zoological Park, which is situated right in the middle of the city covering an area of 175 hectare, is truly amazing. Its magnificent landscape and scenic beauty is mind boggling. It is home to 468 mammals, 64 reptiles and 218 birds and 610 species of plants and is a researcher and nature lover’s paradise.

The scene is no better for the five major wetlands of the city namely Deepor, Borsola, Sarosola, Silsaku and Bijubari. Out of these five major wetlands, Sarusola and Bijubari have been completely wiped out and the rest three are also on the verge of extinction, due to unabated encroachment and other destructive human activities. Deepor Beel, the bird sanctuary and a Ramsar site, is home to around 170 species of birds. Presence of migratory birds, which come from as far as Siberia, has earned Deepor the status of being a birds’ paradise. But due to encroachment and massive siltation, which is a direct consequence of deforestation and quarrying activities in the Rani-Garbhanga reserve forest, has reduced the wetland from 41 sq km to a mere 5 sq km.

The two banks of the river Brahmaputra have different characteristics even though they are the banks of the same river. One has a completely rural ambience and the other is a bustling city. The river is the lifeline of Guwahati, providing water to perform all day-to-day activities as well as soaking the extra water during the rainy season. It also sustains the fishing community of the city. There are a few floating restaurants and cruise services that cater to the needs of the people. Umananda, the river island of the Brahamaputra, is a rich biodiversity hotspot.

Of late, this eco-city has been witnessing a severe demographic hazard because of migration of people from other parts of Assam and the Northeast as a place of opportunity. Due to the migration, the population has witnessed a massive jump and correspondingly, the city area has also increased from 0.44 sq km to 217 sq km, much of which is reserve forests and hills. Demographic hazards and unplanned urbanization has caused some severe problems such as killer landslides, erosion, waterlogging and flash floods turning the city into ‘Venice of the east’. Mud, which is carried by the run-off water from the hills, poses a serious health hazard as the dry mud, carried by the wind, causes severe eye infection and respiratory diseases.

Over and above all this, over-exploitation of ground water is causing depletion of ground water levels. Guwahati is listed as 24th among the 51 most polluted cites of India. The disposal of household waste into the river Bharalu has converted it into a natural dustbin. The age-old practice of waste disposal is highly unscientific and poses a lot of environmental problems. The ever-increasing population of Guwahati and the consequent pressure on land is causing a serious imbalance in the environment. There is, therefore, an urgent need to use land planning for optimum utilization of land resources in a sustainable way to keep the city’s ecology intact.

Rajdeep Singha.