Why urban flooding is an annual ritual in Guwahati

To tackle the problem of artificial floods in Guwahati city, the Assam government has submitted a proposal to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the implementation of a mega project to deal with artificial floods, which have been plaguing the city every monsoon in recent years.

According to a report, representatives from the ADB have that given their verbal acceptance to the ambitious Rs. 321-crore project on principle and the final approval is awaited. The project aims to build more pumping stations to flush flood water out, divert excess water from the city to its natural water bodies, construct new underground drains, and preserve natural water bodies that are shrinking due to encroachment.

Several localities in the city have been facing the problem of artificial water-logging this monsoon, with some being submerged for almost a week. Residents of the areas are being provided food and clean drinking water by the authorities, while boats of the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) are rescuing those marooned. While these are basically disaster response measures, the phenomenon of urban flooding points to basic infrastructural issues which continue to ail the city, even as it features on the coveted list of 100 news Smart Cities to be developed.

The city lacks a well planned drainage system that can take the load of the rapid expansion of population. There is massive ongoing encroachment in the hills surrounding the city, which causes silt to come down flowing only to clog the drains. There is also encroachment of land near the city’s natural bodies like Deepor Beel and Silsako Beel, which is decreasing their water retention capacity.

Clearly, nothing short of a complete overhaul of the city’s urban infrastructure will alleviate the situation. Till that happens, it looks urban flooding in the city will continue to be an annual ritual.