GUWAHATI: Congress leader and Member of Parliament for Jorhat constituency, Gaurav Gogoi on Tuesday raised in Parliament the issue of artificial floods in Guwahati and the widespread discomfort caused to commuters.
Notably, heavy afternoon showers on Monday afternoon disrupted normal life in Guwahati, causing waterlogging and flash floods across various areas of the city. Traffic came to a standstill for hours, leaving many commuters, including school children, stranded in their vehicles and school buses, amidst submerged areas.
Addressing the critical issue in Parliament, Gogoi urged the Union government to work with the Assam government to understand the situation and take urgent action.
He stated that the entire city came to a standstill on Monday evening and was submerged under water.
“Utter mismanagement resulted in long traffic jams with people stranded for hours on the Zoo Road flyover,” Gogoi said.
“No measures were taken to resolve the issue. Due to its unique geographical location, Guwahati is also prone to landslides,” the MP said.
Notably, the Kamrup Metro district administration, as a precautionary measure, had issued an order on Monday evening, directing closure of educational institutions (government and private) within the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) area on Tuesday.
The Congress leader further emphasised the need to take preventive measures urgently to avoid further inconvenience to people.
He also urged the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change to come up with comprehensive measures to track the responsiveness of state governments to tackle climate change induced emergencies.
Himanta chairs meeting
Meanwhile, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma attributed the cause of the flooding to heavy rainfall in the Ri Bhoi district of Meghalaya, as well as the afternoon downpour in Guwahati.
“Yesterday, Ri-Bhoi district in Meghalaya received record rainfall of nearly 100 mm. Heavy rainfall in the hills along with rains of 60mm in Guwahati, resulted in extraordinary flash floods in parts of the state capital,” Sarma said.
He further informed that rainfall in Khanapara area of Guwahati touched 132 mm within 90 minutes on Monday. “This is almost 20-25 percent of the total rainfall received by the city in the entire monsoon season. Along with record rain in hills of surrounding Meghalaya, a flash flood situation developed in parts of Guwahati,” he said.
“Today, I chaired a meeting with all stakeholders to work out a comprehensive solution baked in with early warning and quick response mechanisms. We will also be in touch with the Meghalaya government to implement a real-time coordination protocol,” the chief minister said.
According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority’ flood bulletin on Monday evening, the areas that were submerged amidst torrential rain include Hatigaon, Six Mile, Rukminigaon, Satgaon, Anil Nagar, Nabin Nagar, Jayanagar, Geetanagar, Hengrabari, Zoo Road, Hatigarh, ABC Point, Basistha Chariali, Kahilipara near SBI, Bamunimaidam, Anuradha, Noonmati, Chandmari, Silpukhuri, Guwahati Club, Maligaon, B. Borooah Road, Islampur, Gandhi Basti, Boragaon Highway, Ambari, Ulubari, Bhangagarh, Rajgarh, Rajgarh Byelanes-1,2,3,4,5,6,7, Jorabat, 9th Mile and 8th Mile.
Meanwhile, leaders and members of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Assam, staged a protest while wading through a waterlogged stretch of the Rukminigaon area in Guwahati on Tuesday.
Dear Reader,
Every day, our team at EastMojo travels through rain, rough roads, and remote hills to bring you stories that matter – stories from your town, your people, your Northeast.
We do this because we believe in truthful, independent journalism. No big corporate backing, no government pressure – just honest reporting by local journalists who live and breathe the same air you do.
But to keep doing this work, we need you. Your small contribution helps us pay our reporters fairly, reach places others ignore, and keep asking the tough questions.
If you believe the Northeast deserves its own fearless voice, stand with us.
Support independent journalism. Be a Member.
Thank you,
Karma Paljor
Editor-in-Chief, eastmojo.com
The AAP protesters criticised the state government as well as the Guwahati Municipal Corporation for failing to control the menace of artificial floods in the city.
Also Read | Assam: Boko Pineapple farmers find hope with processing unit foundation