Guwahati in Double Trouble: COVID-19 and Flash flood leave city in despair

Guwahati: With the COVID-19 creating havoc across the world, the state of Assam has also been hit hard by floods that are now destroying lives and livelihoods across the state. As on July 13, 21,63,010 people across 27 districts of the state were affected by the floods, and the death toll reached 50. Now, the flood problem has also reached Guwahati, the largest urban area in the state.

A respite from the problem of artificial flooding remains a distant dream people of Guwahati. Incessant rain has caused great inconvenience to the residents of several areas of the city, as waters have risen to knee-level in many of these localities.

Several areas including Mathura Nagar, Dwarka Nagar, and Rukmini Nagar in the very heart of the urban agglomeration have been reeling under floodwaters for the last few days. The residents, meanwhile, have launched tirades at the Assam Government and its agencies like the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) for their inability to resolve the age-old issue.

When The Sentinel Digital visited the Rukmini Nagar area reeling under floods, they expressed anger against the local MLA who is yet to visit the area. "They only come before the elections. They are indifferent towards our problems. They give only false promises," complained a resident.

"This has been going on for many a year, but nobody pays heed to this problem. The local administration has not offered to help so every year during monsoons people have to wade through knee-deep water on these streets", lamented another local. The residents of the area have complained that the floods have caused such a nuisance that they have not even been able to move out of their respective homes to buy essential items amid the ongoing lockdown triggered by the COVID-19. Guwahati has also witnessed several landslips in the recent months, with a red alert being sounded in some of the hillier regions in the city premises.

Yesterday turned grim for the denizens of Assam as 6 people died due to drowning in floodwaters. The threat of more casualties looms over the horizon for people in the flood-hit areas, as many rivers -- including the mighty Brahmaputra -- continue to be in spate. The Brahmaputra is also flowing above the danger level in Guwahati, triggering panic among the residents who are already living in fear of the COVID-19 that already seems to have spread to the community.

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