A city and citizens

The extended rainy season has finally come to an end, with winter starting to arrive stealthily in Assam. In Guwahati, however, though the rains this year have had a devastating effect in several localities, the concerned authorities do not appear to have come forward with any action in order to prepare for the next year. In many localities where the rains and flash floods had caused severe damage to roads, drains, guard walls, culverts, and footpaths, particularly in the month of August, citizens have not seen any action whatsoever of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation, Public Works Department, GMDA, or Water Resource Department to repair those. While guard walls of major drains collapsed in July and August itself, it is now the first week of November, with no sign of any action to rebuild those. Drains without guard walls thus have become potential death traps, more so because of the damage caused to the roads. About clearing debris and de-silting the drains in the major flood-affected localities, the less said, the better. Citizens, however, should not be blaming or accusing the government or its various departments and organizations for the state of affairs in the wake of this year’s devastating flash floods in Guwahati. While there is very little proactive action to be seen on the part of citizens to enquire why things have not happened, there is also a sizable section of citizens in Guwahati who have also earned notoriety by way of dumping garbage of all kinds on drains, water channels, water bodies, and roads. Post Diwali, for instance, one can see how a section of Guwahatians have dumped the banana trees, used for making patterns of earthen lamps, on the roadside or in drains.