City Drainage

The monsoon season is around the corner, and the drains of Guwahati, often projected as India’s gateway to Southeast Asia, have yet to be cleared of garbage. One short shower a few days ago led to waterlogging in several localities of Guwahati, and lanes and by-lanes in certain areas are still reportedly under water. The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC), which is responsible for keeping the drainage system of the city clear, has already come under strong criticism from the tax-paying citizens, as is evident from reactions expressed through various social media. There was a time when the civic body used to complain of a shortage of funds and manpower. But, while the present government has made very handsome allocations for all municipal bodies, tax collection has also significantly improved in most urban centres, especially in Guwahati. The GMC has also acquired several machines in order to speed up the drain-clearing process. But not much positive appears to be happening on the ground. Citizens will testify that municipal workers engaged in cleaning drains and water channels do not do their work sincerely. The fault lies with a whole chain of people, from the ground-level supervisor to the ward commissioners, GMC officers and engineers, and the corporation’s commissioner. Citizens, too, must be blamed. While there are voluntary citizens’ associations in most localities, most such bodies are generally in the grip of a handful of individuals who have failed to ensure the active participation of all residents of a given locality. While the GMC collects domestic garbage from the doorstep free of charge, a sizable section of city dwellers continue to throw rubbish in drains and water bodies. Strict vigilance and a legal provision are needed to penalize such people.