Recurrence of fatal landslides in Guwahati is a grim reminder of poor risk perception among hill residents about impending disaster. Two separate incidents of rain-triggered landslides on Tuesday claimed four lives in the capital city, reinforcing this concern and once again exposing how vulnerable the hill settlements have remained despite repeated advisories issued by the administration. It also reflects critical gaps in disaster communication as repeated warnings issued by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) and the administration have failed to translate into action. A sustainable solution to the persistent crisis requires strong laws and community-level awareness as central to disaster management in the capital city, alongside strict land-use enforcement. The ASDMA identified 366 landslide-prone areas in the city and other areas of the Kamrup (Metropolitan) district, leading to the establishment of a clear vulnerability map and plan for targeted mitigation works. Effective disaster management requires strengthening of both structural and non-structural mitigation measures. The hills in the city have already been tampered with. Retrofitting solutions such as the construction of guard walls, drains to discharge stormwater, and massive tree plantations to prevent topsoil erosion under the impact of rain in open and deforested slopes are essential to reduce soil erosion and strengthen hill stability. These solutions cannot remain on paper, and their success depends on timely implementation backed by coordinated action across departments and city authorities. The harsh reality is that the city administration has failed to prevent rampant encroachment of the hills, yet it cannot overlook the acute vulnerability of hill residents from rain-triggered landslides and must take urgent measures to safeguard lives and properties. The afforestation on the city hills cannot remain a task. The administration cannot solely plan and implement afforestation on the city hills. by the administration alone. Hill residents must shoulder this responsibility to make their own lives secure and proactively coordinate with city authorities to carry out large-scale plantation drives on degraded hill forests and slopes. These hill settlements fall under Guwahati Municipal Corporation wards, despite their unsettled legal entitlements to land, highlighting the administration’s obligation to protect these residents and initiate measures to address their vulnerability to recurring landslides. The response of the authorities, therefore, cannot remain limited to mapping the vulnerable site and issuing routine advisories ahead of and during monsoon season; it must evolve into year-round action. Urban flooding and landslides in the city become an elephant in the room after the monsoon season is over, completely forgotten in the dry season, slipping out of public discourse and the city authorities’ calendar of prioritised activities. Erosion of topsoil on the hills and unstable slopes has made the flooding issue in the city worse, as loose soil and debris washed away by stormwater quickly clog the drains, leading to hours of waterlogging on the streets, especially in lower areas. The situation demands a holistic mitigation strategy that tackles landslide risks in the hills and urban flooding in Guwahati as interconnected issues. The pragmatic solution to the problem, however, lies in the phased relocation of hill settlers from identified landslide-prone zones, supported by affordable housing under central government-sponsored urban housing programmes. Given the increasing population in disaster-prone areas, the growing burden on disaster management authorities for mitigation measures and post-disaster rescue and relief calls for the state government and city authorities to provide additional funding support for housing schemes, which can significantly help reduce the degradation of fragile ecology and tree cover in the hills caused by unchecked settlement. In a rapidly expanding city like Guwahati, which has a population of over one million, the city police cannot be expected to allocate their resources for surveillance against unauthorised hill settlements, as they are already overwhelmed with an increasing number of law-and-order duties, static guard and escort responsibilities for VIPs and VVIPs, and a rising volume of crime investigations. However, they can take action against unauthorised settlements in the hills or illegal earth cutting for the construction of dwelling houses when such activities are reported by vigilant citizens. Absence of surveillance allows land brokers and middlemen to construct illegal houses and rent them out at cheaper rates compared to rental accommodation in the core city areas, attracting migrant workers and others seeking low-cost accommodation to settle in the hills. Updating the City Disaster Management Plan dynamically, addressing these issues, is now indispensable for building sustained preparedness and reducing the city’s vulnerability to recurring floods and landslides. Disaster preparedness cannot be confined to the gap between monsoon and the next. Long-term sustainability demands continuous mitigation, aggressive risk awareness, planned slope restoration and prompt eviction of any new settlement in the hills. Failure to check degradation of the hills will erode ease of living, permanently turning Guwahati into a poorly managed urban landscape prone to chronic floods and landslides.