Two Days On, Guwahati Still Underwater as Residents Demand Answers

GUWAHATI — Two days after heavy rainfall on April 19, several parts of Guwahati were still submerged on Tuesday, with areas like Rukminigaon continuing to face severe waterlogging that disrupted daily movement and commutes.

For many residents, the scenes were all too familiar — and the frustration is no longer just about the rain.

A Drainage Crisis That Keeps Returning

Locals said the flooding once again exposed the city's long-standing inability to handle seasonal rainfall, pointing to inadequate urban drainage infrastructure as the root of the problem.

Commuters struggled to navigate inundated roads, while residents questioned what, if anything, had changed since the last time their neighbourhoods went under.

One resident also raised the optics of governance during the crisis, suggesting that leaders campaigning elsewhere while parts of the city remained flooded sent the wrong message to the public.

Also Read: Guwahati: Overnight rainfall breaks record of two decades

Flyovers Over Drains: Residents Question Infrastructure Priorities

Several residents directed their criticism at what they described as skewed development priorities.

Ajit Baruah argued that an excessive focus on building flyovers, at the expense of underground drainage systems, had directly contributed to the city's recurring flood problem.

Ani Gogoi echoed the concern, pointing to what he called unplanned infrastructure development and alleging that several flyovers had been constructed without adequate research into their impact on water flow and drainage.

Public Funds Wasted Without Fixing Root Causes

Manjit Kalita raised the issue of accountability, stating that inadequate planning or poor implementation had resulted in the wastage of public funds — without actually addressing the underlying causes of Guwahati's flood vulnerability.

Another resident was more blunt, saying that a flood-free Guwahati remained a distant goal, and that repeated governance failures suggested those in power had yet to fully grasp the depth of public frustration.

Residents are now demanding urgent intervention, more transparent planning, and a credible long-term strategy — not just for this season, but to end what has become a recurring crisis every monsoon.