Faulty city drains

Guwahati’s faulty and outdated drainage system continues to remain a major cause of worry for the citizens. Such drains have led to several tragic accidents, including death to pedestrians. Incidents of people falling into open drains have become common. There is little accountability; those responsible for such deaths consistently evade consequences. While the Gauhati High Court had, in a direction on May 12, asked the departments concerned to immediately undertake protective steps to cover all open manholes, drains and hazardous sewer channels across the city, the authorities appear to have failed to fully comply with it. In several localities, open and uncovered manholes, as well as half-constructed pavements, are still visible nearly two months after the High Court order. Guwahati’s drainage system has over 850 primary, secondary, and tertiary drains, spanning hundreds of kilometres. Of these, 553 are under the maintenance of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation and 297 under the Public Works Department. GMDA also has a crucial role. Guwahati’s topography resembles a trough, with the central area being significantly lower than the surrounding regions. Encroachment and construction activities on the city’s several hills have over the decades led to massive earth-cutting, with rains washing the mud down to the drains. This soil, together with garbage, fills up the drains, most of which are anyway constructed without any planning or scientific survey. Encroachment on the city’s wetlands, together with permission to build houses on such wetlands, has only added to the woes. Encroachment of the several dozen rivers and streams has also affected water flow in these channels. A large quantity of rainwater also runs down Guwahati from the hills of Meghalaya, which constitute the city’s southern flank. Massive destruction of hills in Meghalaya, adjoining Guwahati, has caused severe environmental degradation in both states. Some citizens are to blame: some have encroached on drains and water channels, while others dump garbage in them. The authorities should impose severe penalties on such individuals. While individual citizens occasionally file PILs to draw the attention of the High Court after failing to get any response from the relevant authorities, it is important to inform the High Court that in several localities, the construction work for drains has allegedly exceeded the target completion date,, it is important to inform the High Court that in several localities, the construction work for drains has allegedly exceeded the target completion date; the High Court should also be brought to the notice of the High Court that in several localities, construction work of drains has allegedly overshot the target date for completion, thus causing inconvenience to the citizens. Moreover, the authorities concerned have failed to ensure that citizens do not face hardship while the construction work is in progress. The result of such failure is that open and unbarricaded under-construction drains appear to be death traps in many localities.