Guwahati Floods

Urban flooding, which occurs even after a smart shower of just 15 minutes, has emerged as a severe crisis in Assam. While residents of many localities of Guwahati live under a fear during the rain-prone months from mid-April to early October, urban floods have also begun seriously affecting Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Dergaon, Nalbari and other towns of the state. Poor drainage is definitely one major common reason behind urban floods. The existing drainage system in Guwahati is simply inadequate to take out the excess water that comes down with the rains. In Guwahati, newer localities are experiencing floods in the past few years. Panjabari, Juripar, VIP Road, Beltola, Rukmini Gaon, and Narengi Cantonment Road are some of the localities that are some of the worst-affected localities. These include Panjabari, Juripar, VIP Road, Beltola, Rukmini Gaon, and Narengi Cantonment Road. In certain localities, floodwaters have regularly entered residential houses, causing immense loss and suffering to the taxpayers. While it is a fact that rampant and indiscriminate earth cutting in the hills of Meghalaya along the National Highway from Jorabat to Khanapara is one reason, encroachment on the hills of Khanapara to the eastern side of the National Highway within Assam territory is another reason. While eviction carried out in the Silsako Beel was initially expected to ease the Panjabari-Juripar and VIP Road and Rukminigaon flood situation, construction of the new auditorium at Khanapara is now being considered another reason for massive and frequent floods in the Panjabari-Juripar and Rukminigaon and Six Mile areas. Floods in certain localities of the city should not be considered isolated cases. Rather, it is the joint responsibility of all the MLAs who represent the five constituencies – Dimoriya, New Guwahati, Dispur, Guwahati Central and Jalukbari – which cover the city. Unfortunately, the citizens reeling under repeated floods in different localities of the city have not seen the representatives whom they had elected only a few months ago to the Legislative Assembly.