NEWS organized a day-long stakeholder consultation workshop in Guwahati, Assam, on ‘Low-cost Bio-mechanical remediation to improve the water quality in the Pamohi River

Deepor Beel, the only Ramsar site of Assam and a Wildlife sanctuary, faces several serious threats. The city sewerage that flows through the Pamohi River into Deepor Beel is one of these threats. Bioremediation has been widely recommended as an effective treatment method for contaminated water bodies by scientists from across the globe and has also been practised in many ecosystems. In this context, on 19th July 2023, Nature Environment & Wildlife Society (NEWS), under its International Climate Initiative (IKI) Living Lakes Biodiversity and Climate Project (LLBCP), organized a day-long stakeholder consultation workshop in Guwahati, Assam, on ‘Low-cost Bio-mechanical remediation to improve the water quality in the Pamohi River (a 500-meter stretch) just before entering Deepor Beel’.
A preliminary site visit to the Pamohi River was arranged for the experts prior to the workshop on the 18th of July. The programme was attended by a number of important stakeholders like the Pollution Control Board, Assam, and the GIZ Research Institution. Ms Ajanta Dey, the Joint Secretary of NEWS, began the workshop with a short welcome address to all the participants and briefed the participants on IKI-LLBCP. An expert session on bioremediation was held by Prof. Punyasloke Bhadury, Professor, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER), Kolkata, followed by a presentation by CS Pradeep Kumar, CEO, Biostarts Ventures. Mr. Rupam Borthakur, Director, Greenovo Ecosolutions presented on a technology-based management of solid waste during the workshop. Deputy Chief Engineer, Additional Chief Engineer and Executive Engineer from the Water Resource Department, Assam, took an active part in the event. Ms. Monica Kishore, IFS, DFO, Guwahati Wildlife Division, made valuable points in the following discussion. Dr Anwaruddin Choudhury, Advisor to the IKI-LLBCP of NEWS, summarized the event and made the concluding remarks. The various action points and recommendations made by the participants were noted during the workshop.