Pilot project with latest technology to be launched in Matmara

The Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR) has sanctioned a pilot project for construction of embankment at Matmora in Lakhimpur district using the latest geo fabric tube technology. Sanction for the pilot project is the first of its kind using the latest technology to protect bunds and embankment. The pilot project for construction of the five km embankment is estimated to cost Rs 142 crore. The original proposal submitted by Assam Government, sources said was for Rs 206 crore. However, the MoWR is giving the State Government full credit for proposing introduction of the latest technique. Officials lauding the initiative of Assam Government said that the Ministry had embarked on an elaborate research exercise on the viability of the new technique, before it cleared the pilot project recently. If successful, the technique would be introduced elsewhere in the country, sources said.

The Geo Fabric Tubes or Geo Textile Technology is being used exclusively in several erosion prone countries. The technology though costly, is seen as a long-term solution, that the Government has been looking for, sources said.One of the US-based Company that introduced the Geo-Filter Tube Erosion Barrier claimed that at 25 per cent of the cost of conventional bulkheads or bunds, it was the most cost effective and environmentally responsible shoreline erosion barrier available."Shoreline erosion is a serious issue in Florida, and continues to grow worse every day. Erosion control is easily solved by installation of the Geo-Filter Tube erosion barrier, the Company's web site said.

The Geo-Filter Tube is constructed of a spun-bond polyester fabric sewn together to form a custom diameter tube. The tube is interconnected along the waters edge, then a small sand pump is used to fill the tube with the same sand and organic material that has been eroding into the lake or canal. The final result is a long lasting fully contained sand filter barrier that will stabilize the bank from erosion and filter rainwater and irrigation run off. The Geo-Filter Tube erosion barrier can be installed on any shoreline contour or stacked pyramid fashion to create a more substantial barrier to protect against soil erosion during heavy rains.

Once the Geo-Filter Tube is sodded the durability and life span is unlimited, the company claimed. Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi, last July after surveying the breaches at Matmora had said the State government would take up scientific construction of the embankment from October this year to prevent the recurrence of the breach. The Brahmaputra River had breached about 200 metres of a crucial embankment at Matmora in Lakhimpur district, flooding the entire district, as well as the Majuli Island in Jorhat district, in the third wave of floods in the State last year.
Courtesy:The Assam Tribune,February 4,2009