The cost of tampering with Guwahati’s natural topography

Several localities in Guwahati reeling under water after overnight and early morning rain is not unprecedented for city residents but is a regular sight during rainy days every year. For all stakeholders, including the residents, the problem remains the elephant in the room that explains why the capital city continues to grapple with it. The natural topography of the city was such that excess rainwater flowing down the hill slopes would be absorbed by the large wetlands, small water bodies apart from the River Bharalu flowing through it draining out the stormwater into the River Brahmaputra. People have tampered with its natural topography by encroaching upon the wetland areas, reducing their storage capacities, encroaching upon the floodplains of the Bharalu River, and converting low-lying areas into residential colonies. Clearing of jungles and hill cutting for construction of buildings aggravated the problem. While the city town planners identified the problems and recommended land use zoning in master plans to retard the process, if not reversing it, the plans remained unimplemented while the city continues to expand rapidly both vertically and horizontally in a haphazard manner. Ironically, after the natural sponge city has been gradually destroyed due to lack of foresight among the people and the city authorities, efforts are now on to create an artificial sponge city to address the problem of waterlogging. There are laws to prohibit hill cutting and evict unauthorised construction on the hills, but a lack of enforcement incentivised rampant clearing of tree cover in the hills, slope cutting and illegal construction of dwelling houses. Soil and debris flowing down the hillslopes during rain fill the stormwater drains with sediments and debris, reducing their discharging capacities. As the number of dwelling houses, including multi-storeyed buildings, has increased over the years, the desilting of drains ahead of the rainy season has failed to provide a sustainable solution. If the encroachment of the city hills for construction of residential buildings is not halted, the solution of creating a sponge city by increasing the capacity of water waterbodies, overhauling the drainage network to absorb stormwater also runs the risk of becoming unsustainable. Rising population in the city has also led to an increase in wastewater discharge from city households. The ongoing construction of covered drains is expected to reduce the menace of dumping of plastic waste and garbage into drains by irresponsible residents and visitors, but such an impact will be visible only when the city is left with no open drains. Provision of a garbage trap in the river is a laudable approach, but dumping of plastic waste and discharge from residential drains into it must be completely stopped to reduce pollution in the river. Imposition of a heavy penalty for dumping of plastic waste and garbage into Bharalu and wetlands needs to be pursued in a sustained manner for deterrent action. Awareness drives and enforcement must be combined to penalise wilful violators. Illegal raising of plinth area beyond permissible height and covering the entire courtyard with concrete in newly constructed buildings and multi-storeyed housing complexes has given rise to two problems: the rainwater run-off to the city streets and bylanes has increased, while due to lack of percolation of surface water and regular drawing of water using a submersible pump, the underground water table has depleted. Rampant hill cutting in Meghalaya has led to the worsening of the situation. Instead of washing its hands of aggravation of the problem of rainwater entering Guwahati and flooding of several city areas due to rampant cutting of hills for infrastructure development, the Meghalaya government should extend cooperation to the city authorities in finding a permanent solution. Just one heavy spell of rain inundating the Jorabat area on the city outskirts and disrupting traffic movement along the busy National Highway-27 for hours together is attributed to indiscriminate hill cutting in Meghalaya. The two neighbouring states collaborating to find a sustainable solution is an urgent need of the hour, as people from both the states are affected by this problem. Failure to address recurring urban floods shapes a negative image of inefficiency of city administration and poor awareness among residents about sustainable and liveable cities. When Assam and other states in the Northeast region are on the cusp of a new infrastructure and industrial development, the gateway to the region grappling with urban floods is a disincentive to investors. Finding solutions to urban floods is easier said than done, as rising population pressure poses a huge challenge in the implementation of many solutions. Nevertheless, for the cities to remain sustainable and liveable, addressing the problems of waterlogging, traffic congestion, and waste management on a priority basis is no longer a choice but an urgent necessity. While experimentation with different innovative solutions to these problems is welcome and is important towards evolving sustainable solutions, any attempt to tamper with the natural topography of Guwahati needs to be curbed with an iron hand.