STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: Large parts of Rukminigaon remained submerged on Friday, prompting residents to question the effectiveness of Guwahati’s drainage infrastructure as floodwaters continued to inundate the locality for the second consecutive day.
The prolonged waterlogging forced rescue teams to evacuate stranded residents in rubber boats, while many families remained trapped inside their homes.
Personnel of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Fire and Emergency Services, and Civil Defence launched rescue operations from 7 am. Two rubber boats were deployed to evacuate residents from inundated houses as water levels showed little sign of receding.
The flooding followed heavy rainfall across Guwahati and several parts of Assam on July 23, once again leaving low-lying areas submerged, roads impassable, businesses shut and normal life disrupted.
Residents expressed frustration over what they described as the failure of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) and other departments to address the city’s recurring drainage problems despite repeated assurances and years of infrastructure projects.
“This is not a natural disaster anymore; it is administrative failure. Every year we suffer the same nightmare while officials continue making promises,” said a resident waiting to be evacuated.
Another resident questioned the city’s development priorities.
“We don’t want the tag of a Smart City or a Purple City if people have to be rescued by boats after every spell of rain. We want a permanent solution,” the resident said.
Several residents alleged that electricity and drinking water supplies had remained disrupted since Thursday night, worsening the situation. They also claimed that no relief materials had reached the locality by the time of filing this report, even as rescue operations continued.
The latest flooding has also revived concerns over pre-monsoon preparedness. Residents said that despite repeated complaints about clogged drains, several areas remained vulnerable to waterlogging.
The public reaction comes against the backdrop of an earlier statement by a senior GMC official, who had argued that cleaning drains too early before the monsoon would have limited impact because waste discarded by the public would clog them again. Residents, however, said such explanations could not justify the recurring flooding witnessed every year.
“Stop blaming citizens every monsoon. If drains are designed, maintained and monitored properly, one day’s rainfall should not bring an entire locality to a standstill,” another resident said.
With rescue operations still underway and floodwaters yet to recede, residents called for long-term drainage reforms, scientific flood mitigation measures and greater accountability from the civic authorities, saying Guwahati needs lasting solutions to its recurring urban flooding.
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