STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: What should have been a natural drainage channel has turned into a floating landfill.
The Mora Bharalu channel near Fatasil Ambari is choked with mountains of plastic waste, thermocol, domestic garbage and construction debris, presenting a grim picture of environmental neglect and administrative failure. The accumulation of waste has drastically narrowed the flow of the channel, raising serious concerns about flooding, public health and ecological degradation.
The scene, captured this week, shows the waterbody almost completely covered with floating garbage, leaving only a narrow stretch of stagnant water visible. Residents alleged that despite repeated complaints over the years, little has changed on the ground.
Mora Bharalu is one of Guwahati’s primary stormwater channels that ultimately drains into Deepor Beel. Official planning documents have long identified garbage dumping, encroachments and blocked drains as major causes of urban flooding, while the Pollution Control Board Assam’s river action plan specifically calls for preventing waste disposal into the channel and regulating floodplain activities.
Residents questioned how such large-scale dumping could continue in full public view without timely intervention by the authorities.
“This is no longer a river; it has become the city’s dustbin. Every monsoon we fear floods because the water has nowhere to go. If the administration had acted in time, this situation would never have reached such a disastrous level,” said Dhrubajyoti Sarma, a resident.
Another resident, Bhaskar Kakoty, said, “We pay taxes, yet we are forced to live beside heaps of garbage. The foul smell is unbearable, mosquitoes have multiplied and children are exposed to serious health hazards. This is complete administrative apathy.”
Expressing anger over the condition, local resident Kiran Boro said, “Every year we hear promises about making Guwahati flood-free. But this is the reality. The authorities clean a few stretches for publicity while channels like Mora Bharalu continue to die under tonnes of waste. Accountability must be fixed.”
Environmental concerns surrounding Mora Bharalu are not new. Residents and experts have repeatedly warned that the indiscriminate dumping of solid waste obstructs the natural flow of the channel, increasing the risk of flash floods during heavy rainfall while polluting downstream ecosystems.
With Guwahati once again battling recurrent urban flooding this monsoon, residents said the shocking condition of Mora Bharalu stands as a stark reminder that flood mitigation cannot succeed unless garbage dumping, encroachments and poor maintenance of natural drainage channels are addressed through sustained enforcement rather than periodic clean-up drives.
Also Read: GMC Launches Major Restoration Drive for Mora Bharalu in Betkuchi to Tackle Monsoon Flooding