Letters to The EDITOR: NHAI needs scientific survey for Jorabat drainage

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NHAI needs scientific survey for Jorabat drainage

With reference to the report “Reason for Jorabat flooding is NHAI—neither Assam nor M’laya” dated August 4, 2026, the NHAI elevation drawing accompanying the report raises a question that cannot be dismissed as merely another episode of an interstate blame game. It points to a potentially fundamental failure of drainage planning. The drawing indicates that the road descending from the Khanapara side loses approximately 64 metres in elevation over barely 1.6 km. The consequence is elementary hydrology: rainfall accumulating over the highway and adjoining hill catchments is naturally accelerated towards Jorabat, the receiving low point.

But the real issue is what happens to that water once it arrives.

If the accumulated runoff is expected to pass principally through a single box culvert, the system demands scrutiny. A drainage network cannot be designed merely on the assumption that water will arrive; it must be engineered for the volume, velocity and intensity with which it arrives, particularly during extreme rainfall events.

The vulnerability becomes still more acute if the downstream Sonapur drainage channel is constricted by siltation, garbage or encroachment; therefore, a strict eviction drive must be carried out to clear the encroachment. What we then have is a classic hydraulic bottleneck: water is being funnelled toward one point faster than the system is capable of carrying it away.

This is not a problem that annual desilting can cure.

NHAI should, therefore, commission an independent hydrological and hydraulic audit of the entire catchment. The assessment must examine the Meghalaya and Guwahati hill catchments, rainfall intensity, peak runoff, road gradients, natural drainage channels and the carrying capacity of existing culverts and downstream drains.

The remedial architecture should follow the science: additional drainage openings wherever required, interceptor drains along vulnerable slopes, restoration and adequate widening of the Sonapur drainage channel, removal of downstream bottlenecks and, if the hydraulic assessment warrants it, a dedicated emergency overflow route.

The Supreme Court’s decision in NHAI v. Aam Aadmi Lokmanch (2020) is also instructive in this context. Where highway development or associated works obstruct natural drainage and create foreseeable environmental or flooding risks, responsibility cannot simply be passed from one jurisdiction to another.

The answer is not another round of emergency pumping after every cloudburst, nor another annual exercise in desilting. Jorabat requires an evidence-based hydrological audit, accountability for drainage design, and permanent re-engineering of the system.

Shahin Yusuf

Guwahati

Assam floods must be declared a

national problem

Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I wish to draw attention to the worsening flood situation in Assam. The 2026 monsoon has so far claimed over 70 lives and affected more than 10 lakh people. In several areas of Sivasagar, Jorhat and other districts, villages have been severely damaged, houses washed away and normal life disrupted.

Floods are not new to Assam. The Brahmaputra and its tributaries have shaped the geography and civilisation of the state for centuries. The enormous sediment load from the Himalayas, decreasing river gradient across the Assam plains, changing river channels and increasing pressure on floodplains all contribute to the problem. However, wetland destruction, encroachment, deforestation, unplanned settlements and inadequate drainage have further increased vulnerability.

It is time to recognise Assam's flood and erosion crisis as a national problem. Assam cannot be expected to deal with this enormous geographical and ecological challenge alone.

We need a long-term strategy based on ecological restoration, scientific river engineering, risk-based spatial planning, wetland conservation, sediment management and integrated river-basin management. Modern flood forecasting, satellite monitoring and community-based early-warning systems must also be strengthened.

The Brahmaputra and Barak cannot simply be "controlled"; they must be scientifically managed while respecting their natural characteristics. Assam needs resilience, not merely relief after every disaster. I therefore urge the Government of India and the Government of Assam to treat Assam's floods and erosion as a national ecological and humanitarian challenge and develop a permanent, scientific and sustainable solution.

Sankalpajit Saikia

Changchaki, Kampur

Students are the nation’s pillars

During the recent students' protest at Jantar Mantar, doubts were raised about the protesters, but, in fact, they raised their voices for their future. Students are the nation's future, and we cannot label them "anti-nationals". Their protests have revealed the depression of India's educated youth. They demand only accountability. It is essential for the smooth functioning of democracy. Those in power must accept it as a basic foundation of a democratic state. We usually call those persons anti-nationals who spread communal violence, demolish religious shrines and violate constitutional rights. One ought not to malign citizens who strive tirelessly to uphold constitutional values.

We need to inspire the young generation to become 'deshbhakt' and not 'deshdrohi' for a 'Viksit Bharat'. Let's pledge to avoid weaponising labels and using inflammatory terms towards any group of people, as this behaviour is harmful to the overall wellbeing of society and the development of the nation.

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati.

Ensure help for flood-hit

Flood is the unwanted guest of most of the people residing in flood-prone areas, but this time the people of Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat and Golaghat districts are facing the fury of floods not experienced earlier, and the miseries of these people are beyond description. The moot point is that we shouldn't depend solely on the government, as there are many NGOs and wealthy individuals in Assam who can help distressed people by spending a meagre amount of their income. The government must prioritise monitoring any gaps in the flood management system, and it is crucial to engage in productive discussions with environmentalists and flood mitigation experts as soon as possible. The future of these flood-affected people should not be confined to mortgages, for they've nothing to lose except their uncertain times. All kind-hearted people must show their solidarity with these ill-fated people and help them in any way to survive in this adverse situation.

Benudhar Das

Galiahati- No.2,, Barpeta