Editorial

Guwahati Floods

Sentinel Digital Desk

With the rainy season on the verge of coming to an end, it is time the authorities take up on a warfooting a slew of measures on a more serious note so that the residents of Guwahati do not have to suffer from flash floods, inundation, and disruption of normal life when the rains return to the premier city of the Northeast in 2025. While the authorities concerned had, immediately after the August 5 catastrophe, invited suggestions from citizens and experts to resolve Guwahati’s flood problems, the present status of the said initiative—definitely a good one—is not known as yet. In the meantime, it is important to note that the Gauhati High Court has taken up for hearing a petition submitted by a city-based organization in connection with the flood woes of the Guwahati residents. According to media reports, the government of Assam has recently informed the Gauhati High Court that the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has engaged a Delhi-based consultancy firm for preparing a GIS-based comprehensive drainage master plan and a detailed project report for resolving Guwahati’s perennial flood problem. While media reports have said that the High Court has expressed satisfaction that the authorities are on the job, the fact remains that Guwahati’s flood problem is attaining dangerous proportions every passing year. One can draw a list of reasons for this. While sudden shifting of the state capital from Shillong to Guwahati without any perspective plan was the beginning of all problems the city has been facing now, other reasons include poor drainage, failure of the concerned authorities to prevent encroachment of the city’s hills and wetlands, and failure of the law-enforcing agencies to penalize all those who block the natural waterbodies and drains by dumping garbage.