Guwahati: Urban flooding grips city, educational institutions disrupted

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: As heavy rainfall pounded Assam on Tuesday, Guwahati woke up to yet another episode of urban flooding — a scene now all too familiar for its residents. Submerged roads, paralysed traffic, and commuters wading through knee-deep water once again highlighted the city’s perennial monsoon woes.

Several low-lying and flood-prone localities, including Rukminigaon, Survey, Anil Nagar, Nabin Nagar, and Chandmari, were inundated after intense overnight showers. The downpour caused traffic snarls across key city roads, especially in the GS Road stretch, as vehicles struggled to navigate waterlogged streets.

In a rare move underscoring the urgency of the situation, Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah was seen riding a two-wheeler through flood-hit areas to assess the damage. Speaking to reporters from the inundated Survey locality, the Minister acknowledged the gravity of the situation.

“The drains are slowly clearing, but a massive volume of water flowing in from Meghalaya has inundated several areas, especially GS Road, Rukminigaon, Wireless, Hatigaon and surrounding localities. Chandmari hasn’t been hit as hard,” he said.

The government, he added, is trying to divert water flowing in from Tripura Road using a newly dug drainage channel through Koinadhora, via the Gurudwara, to Pamohi. “How much water this drain can accommodate remains to be seen, but efforts are underway,” Mallabaruah noted. He pointed to Guwahati’s haphazard urban expansion and complex geography as major hurdles in addressing flooding, admitting that a long-term solution requires a proper flushing mechanism. “This can’t be resolved overnight — we simply don’t have the means to flush out the water in a day,” he said, while asserting that measures are being taken on a war footing.

Meanwhile, the flooding also disrupted educational institutions. Rukminigaon High School was submerged in waist-deep water, prompting authorities to shut its gates on Tuesday. Students were advised to stay home due to unsafe conditions.

“This happens every year. Every time there’s a heavy shower, it’s the same story,” said a local resident of Rukminigaon, expressing frustration at repeated flooding that has led to frequent school closures, class cancellations, and even postponed exams.

With such incidents continuing to recur, the state’s much-touted Mission Flood-Free Guwahati is drawing increasing skepticism from citizens. While the administration maintains that infrastructure improvements and wetland restoration projects like the ongoing Silsako eviction drive are underway, residents are questioning how soon — if ever — these efforts will translate into real relief on the ground.

 Also Read: Letters to the EDITOR: Flood Preparedness

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