STAFF REPORTER
Guwahati: In the wake of widespread urban flooding and severe waterlogging that has crippled Guwahati, the Assam Real Estate and Infrastructure Developers Association (AREIDA) has called for urgent scientific revision of the city’s rainwater harvesting regulations.
AREIDA president P.K. Sharma stated that the rainwater harvesting structures mandated under Appendix VI of the Building Bye Laws have proven to be ineffective on the ground, despite being in place for over a decade.
Speaking to the press, Sharma pointed out that although substantial investments have gone into constructing these systems in compliance with the current norms, they have failed to achieve their core objective—recharging groundwater. “The present flooding and waterlogging in Guwahati is clear evidence that the rainwater, instead of infiltrating and percolating into the soil, is accumulating on the surface, worsening the crisis,” he said.
AREIDA believes that the existing rainwater harvesting provisions lack scientific rigour and practical effectiveness. Sharma emphasized the need for the infrastructure to ensure that collected rainwater penetrates past the impervious clay layers and reaches the deeper sand strata, where it can actually replenish groundwater reserves.
The issue was recently discussed with the Minister of Urban Development, Sjt Jayanta Malla Baruah, who expressed serious concern over the persistent flooding in Guwahati and other urban areas. Following the Minister’s directive, AREIDA has formed a technical sub-committee, headed by architect Anuj Bhajanka, to draft a revised version of Appendix VI of the building bye laws. The new draft will focus on implementing scientifically sound and practically viable rainwater harvesting mechanisms.
In pursuit of expert inputs, AREIDA has reached out to Dr. Bhaskar V. Bhatt, a Surat-based authority in the field of hydrology and rainwater harvesting, as well as to IIT Guwahati, to assist in framing the proposed amendments.
Sharma assured that the revised framework would be finalized at the earliest in the larger public interest. “Effective rainwater harvesting is not just a regulatory requirement—it is a necessity for sustainable urban living. The time to act is now,” he said. The move comes amid increasing scrutiny of Guwahati’s urban planning and flood management systems, as the city reels under the impact of unrelenting monsoon rains and the failure of key infrastructure to cope with the deluge.
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