Guwahati, August 7: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said an upgrade of infrastructure, such as building drains with a higher rain water retention capacity, was imperative to tackle flash floods during the monsoon season in Guwahati.
Addressing mediapersons, Sarma said Guwahati received 25 percent of the season’s rainfall in a single day on Monday (August 5, 2024).
“Such abnormally high rainfall can get out of control for us even as we have to upgrade our infrastructure and build a robust floodwater discharge system, in the form of drains with higher water retention capacity, for such days. However, land has to be acquired for this,” the chief minister said.
He further pointed out that hill-cutting in the area in Meghalaya where a university exists in the Khanapara area now has compounded the problem of waterlogging and flash floods in Guwahati. “In this regard, I will soon speak to Meghalaya chief minister. But the damage (hill cutting) has already been done,” the chief minister said.
It may be noted that on August 5, a heavy downpour triggered waterlogging and flash floods across Guwahati city, disrupting traffic and leaving many commuters, including school children, stranded in vehicles and school buses, amidst a precarious situation with many areas submerged under water for hours from evening till the wee hours of August 6.
Sarma had on Tuesday chaired a meeting with all stakeholders to work out a comprehensive solution and put in place early warning and quick response mechanisms to tackle flash floods in Guwahati.
“We will also be in touch with the Meghalaya government to implement a real-time coordination protocol,” the chief minister said.
Contemplating pragmatic steps to curb flash floods in a smart city like Guwahati, he said that the excess water has to be diverted to wetlands such as Deepor Beel and Silsako Beel.
Meanwhile, in the wake of the second spell of heavy rainfall on Wednesday afternoon, the chief minister requested residents of the city to stay indoors and refrain from using vehicles unless absolutely necessary.
“Guwahati is experiencing another round of heavy rain. We request everyone to stay indoors and avoid using vehicles unless absolutely necessary. Additionally, please avoid vehicular movement towards the downtown hospital areas on GS Road,” Sarma cautioned.