Guwahati: Torrential rain cripples city again, two swept away in Jorabat floods

Staff reporter

Guwahati: Relentless rains for the second consecutive day on Thursday plunged Guwahati and its adjoining areas into chaos, as artificial floods submerged major roads, crippled traffic, and left thousands of residents stranded. The deluge not only paralyzed daily life in the state capital but also triggered tragedies in Jorabat, where two youths were swept away by raging waters within 24 hours.

In Guwahati, arterial stretches across the city resembled flowing rivers. From Zoo Road and Ganeshguri to NH-37, vehicles stood stranded for hours as buses, cars, and two-wheelers struggled to navigate submerged streets. The Lalmati–Nalapara and Garchuk corridors witnessed massive gridlocks, while several residential and commercial areas reported water entering homes and shops. For many, Thursday brought back the familiar nightmare of waterlogging that turns routine monsoon showers into citywide disasters.

Residents described waist-deep water on several stretches, forcing commuters to abandon vehicles and wade through gushing currents. “It’s the same story every year. Just one spell of rain and Guwahati sinks. The authorities wake up only after people suffer,” said a shopkeeper at Ganeshguri, whose establishment was flooded.

The situation was far more tragic in Jorabat. On Wednesday, a man was reportedly swept nearly ten miles by floodwaters across the 8th Mile stretch, underscoring the intensity of the downpour. Later that night, another incident was reported at 15th Mile, where 26-year-old Rohitash Choudhury was carried away by gushing waters. Rescue operations by the Sonapur police, assisted by State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel, continued on Thursday, but Choudhury remained untraced at the time of reporting.

The back-to-back incidents have sparked alarm among locals, highlighting the dangers posed by artificial floods that follow every spell of heavy rainfall. Citizens and civic groups have once again questioned the city’s preparedness to handle the monsoon, pointing to clogged drains, encroached wetlands, and haphazard urban growth as key reasons behind Guwahati’s recurring floods.

Experts have long warned that without sustainable drainage infrastructure and protection of natural water channels, the city will continue to remain vulnerable. “Urban flooding in Guwahati is not just a natural disaster—it is a man-made crisis aggravated by years of negligence,” said an environmental activist. As rescue operations continued in Jorabat and waterlogging persisted across the capital, residents renewed calls for urgent, long-term measures to address the crisis that has turned seasonal rains into annual calamities.

Also Read: Heavy Rains Paralyze Guwahati Traffic, City Hit by Severe Waterlogging

Also watch: