Guwahati: An important meeting under Mission Flood-Free Guwahati was held on Saturday to devise a roadmap for mitigating artificial flooding in the city ahead of the monsoon season.
The meeting, chaired by Assam’s Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Ashok Singhal and attended by Chief Secretary Ravi Kota, involved detailed presentations by various government departments on their plans to address the city’s perennial flooding issues.
A special committee led by Kamrup (Metropolitan) District Commissioner Sumit Sattawan had earlier gathered 275 citizen suggestions and identified practical solutions for flood-prone areas, including Rukminigaon, Juripar, Wireless-Basisthapur, and Hatigaon. These recommendations were reviewed during the session.
Minister Singhal stressed the importance of implementing both immediate and long-term strategies. The Directorate of Town and Country Planning presented a satellite-based survey analyzing road and drainage layouts in flood-affected areas. Based on these findings, Singhal directed departments to finalize short-term measures to be executed within three to four months.
Key directives included the timely completion of sludge removal from all city sewers, including major water channels such as Bharalu, Bahini, and Lakhimijan, and ensuring proper waste disposal. The Public Works Department (PWD) was tasked with constructing and improving sewerage systems in critical areas like Juripar and Hatigaon, and adopting scientific drainage methods for Rukminigaon-Basisthapur.
The meeting saw the participation of officials from the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority, Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Housing and Urban Affairs, PWD (Roads), Guwahati Municipal Corporation, Water Resources Department, Indian Railways, and the National Highways Authority of India.
Discussions also included last monsoon’s artificial flooding in Dibrugarh city. Proposed drainage projects for Dibrugarh, such as constructing sewers from Murlidhar Jalan Bus Terminus to the Sesa River and from Mohanbari Airport to the Sesa River, were reviewed. Reconfiguration of culverts under the Dibrugarh Town Protection Drain was also deliberated upon.
Singhal issued strict instructions to ensure the timely execution of these projects and reiterated the Assam government’s commitment to enhancing urban flood resilience and improving living conditions.
He underscored the importance of a collaborative and data-driven approach to develop sustainable urban infrastructure. Later in the day, Singhal reviewed several key projects undertaken by the Irrigation and Housing and Urban Affairs departments in separate meetings held at Janata Bhawan. These included initiatives under the Guwahati Municipal Corporation, Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority, Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), and Mission Amrut.
Earlier this year, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi raised the issue of artificial floods in Guwahati in Parliament, highlighting the inconvenience caused by waterlogging and flash floods after heavy rains on August 5. The floods had brought traffic to a standstill, leaving many commuters, including school children, stranded for hours. Gogoi urged the Union government to collaborate with Assam to address this pressing issue and emphasized preventive measures to mitigate the impact of climate change-induced emergencies.
Following the floods, the Kamrup Metro district administration temporarily closed educational institutions in the affected areas as a precautionary measure.
In August, the Assam government informed the Gauhati High Court about engaging Haskoning DHV Consulting Pvt. Ltd. to prepare a GIS-based Comprehensive Drainage Master Plan and Detailed Project Report for Guwahati City. The consultancy firm submitted an inspection report outlining project objectives, methodology, and a detailed schedule. The court was informed that the master plan would be ready within nine months.
Additionally, retired IFS officer Akash Deep Baruah presented an extensive report identifying the causes of flooding in Guwahati and proposed actionable solutions. The Gauhati High Court appreciated Baruah’s contributions and recommended that the state government consider his suggestions.
Expressing confidence in the Assam government’s efforts, the High Court remarked, “We are of the view that the state government is serious in tackling the problem of waterlogging and flooding in Guwahati city and hope that effective measures shall be taken at the earliest.”
This comprehensive approach to addressing artificial floods signals a critical step toward ensuring flood-free living conditions in Assam’s urban areas.
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