Guwahati: City’s urban flooding problem came into focus on Wednesday, with CM Himanta Biswa Sarma explaining how even a brief spell of rainfall leaves several parts of the city inundated. His remarks come amid growing concerns over Guwahati’s vulnerability to waterlogging.Sarma attributed the recurring waterlogging in and around Dispur area, particularly in Jorabat on the city’s outskirts, to rapid runoff from the Meghalaya hills.Referring to a report submitted by a Supreme Court-appointed committee, he said the document highlighted the destruction of reserve forest land in Jorabat, which has led to heavy runoff and left no effective means to control the flow during rainfall.“Therefore, we will have to find a solution in Meghalaya and somehow reclaim that forest. A case regarding this is already pending before the Supreme Court, and we will file a petition seeking its early intervention,” Sarma said at a news conference.He also pointed to civic behaviour as a contributing factor to flooding in several parts of the city, citing Maligaon as an example where indiscriminate dumping of garbage obstructs drainage channels and worsens waterlogging.“When the first spell of rain caused flooding, the area beneath the flyover experienced severe waterlogging. When we investigated, it was found that shops and business establishments were dumping waste into the drains. We began cleaning the drains, and residents cooperated. As a result, Maligaon has not experienced waterlogging during the last two spells of rain. There are local solutions as well; we cannot push the blame entirely on Meghalaya,” Sarma added.Acknowledging shortcomings in addressing the flooding problem, the CM said the city faces serious drainage issues, with ineffective drains causing backflow. He attributed this partly to poor supervision by engineers over contractors engaged in drainage construction.“Preventing artificial flooding requires a civic movement, with residents encouraged to adopt rainwater harvesting and refrain from dumping waste into drains. It should be a collective effort, because the city faces a complex problem — large population, limited space, and surrounding hills,” he said.
