GUWAHATI, July 24: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday directly pointed to unchecked development in the Jorabat hills of Meghalaya as a major reason behind Guwahati’s recurring flash floods, warning that the situation is fast becoming unmanageable.
Citing a Supreme Court-constituted empowered committee report, Sarma said the panel had flagged illegal construction activities in the Jorabat area — particularly around the USTM — as posing a “grave threat” to flood management and waterlogging in the Assam capital. He added that even Guwahati airport is under threat from water cascading down the Meghalaya hills.
“This matter is sub-judice and will be up for hearing in the apex court. The issue has been examined by the Supreme Court-constituted empowered committee, which has stated in its report that the development in Jorabat, particularly in USTM and the surrounding areas, pose a huge threat to Guwahati in regard to flash floods and waterlogging,” Sarma told media persons, referring to Thursday’s severe flooding after heavy rain.
He noted that Meghalaya has already halted development activity in the Byrnihat area over pollution concerns and now urged the neighbouring state to show the same “sympathetic consideration” for Jorabat.
“I will only appeal to the Meghalaya government to see how development in and around Jorabat can be controlled… otherwise the flood scene in Guwahati will be unmanageable, because the volume of water coming down from the hills of Meghalaya cannot be resisted by any kind of drainage here,” the chief minister said. Sarma singled out construction on the backside of the USTM campus as “even more dangerous” and made it clear that Assam would press its case before the Supreme Court. He said he remains in touch with his Meghalaya counterpart on the issue but insisted that without restraint on hill-side development, Guwahati cannot be protected.
