GMC’s actions fail to protect Guwahati city from artificial flooding

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: Despite multiple actions being undertaken towards the prevention of artificial flooding in the city, Guwahatians continue to face problems because of the same.

GMC recently shared some of the steps taken by them to stop waterlogging at Guwahati. These include cleaning and desilting of rivers, streams, and drains in Guwahati city, preventing soil erosion in hills by channelling rainwater into drains, constructing water harvesting points with silt traps, desilting and dredging of drains to enhance stormwater flow, demolition of 89 bridges over the Bahini river to improve natural water flow, clearing of drains and waste disposal management, organising awareness campaigns for residents, Mission Flood-Free Guwahati to develop water bodies and increase retention capacity, and construction of alternative stormwater drains by GMDA to divert stormwater away from the city.

But despite these actions, the problem of artificial flooding has not been resolved in the capital city. Residents of Ajanta Path Bylane 1 mentioned that even though the former CM Tarun Gogoi's residence is on this road, the locality remains submerged even after a single shower.

Even the residents of Hatigaon mentioned that the area never faced flooding before 2016. After that, the authorities worked on the redevelopment of the roads and drains. Although the area faced no flooding last year, this year, at the very onset of the monsoon, the region faced floods like never before. This year, not only were the roads flooded, but water also entered many residences in the locality, forcing the citizens to demand a concrete solution to the flood problem in the city.

Also Read: Assam: Six more die in floods; situation still worrisome in state (sentinelassam.com)

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