Most Tragic Incident

The death of an eight-year-old schoolboy by falling into a swift-flowing open drain in the heart of the Assam capital must be termed a most tragic incident that has sent shockwaves across the state. While the schoolboy, travelling with his father on a two-wheeler, fell into an open drain during a heavy downpour on Thursday evening, his body was recovered only on Sunday morning, nearly 72 hours after the accident had occurred. The tragic incident brings to the fore several things. First and foremost, knowing well that the monsoon season is totally unpredictable, especially in Guwahati, which is notorious for artificial floods and waterlogging, the concerned authorities should not have permitted any kind of drain or road construction work during the rainy season. Appropriate action should thus be immediately initiated against those who were responsible for leaving a half-constructed drain without any protection or demarcation, including officers as well as contractors. Secondly, incidents of people falling into open drains and flowing water bodies in Guwahati have been occurring quite often, leading to deaths on several occasions. Given this scenario, it is appropriate that the concerned authorities have in place a mechanism to track and rescue the victims in the shortest possible time. In the instant incident, it appears that the concerned authorities could not even map the route of the flow of water from the particular open drain in which the ill-fated schoolboy had fallen, because of which it took more than 72 hours for the body to be retrieved. The fact that the search operation was expedited only when the Chief Minister personally visited the spot where the schoolboy had fallen into the open drain is another story. Thirdly, there are a large number of open drains in the city, apart from flowing water bodies, that do not have guardwalls or barricades. In many localities, poor quality of work has led to the collapse of guard walls even within the first year of construction. The tragic incident has also brought to light the fact that a section of citizens do not adhere to safety norms while riding two-wheelers, especially during the rainy season. The authorities cannot end their responsibility by just issuing advisories through the news media and social media. There has to be proactive action, especially during emergency situations. Given the fact that such incidents as the one in which the innocent schoolboy lost his life are common, a heavy downpour in Guwahati is definitely an emergency situation.