Despite spending crores on desiltation, Guwahati was crippled by a two-hour downpour on August 5, exposing serious flaws in its flood management strategies and questioning the project.
Desiltation project is a lie. Not a single culvert in Guwahati has been desilted since the construction of the drains or culverts, as stated by Padma Shree Ajoy Dutta
Despite crores being spent on desiltation and drainage projects, a mere two hours of rain on the evening of August 5 was enough to bring the city virtually to its knees. Streets were submerged, homes were flooded, and daily life was thrown into a tailspin, raising serious questions about the effectiveness of the city’s flood management strategies.
Back in March 2024, the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) launched an extensive desiltation and dredging operation, aiming to clear out the city's drainage systems in preparation for the monsoon season. However, the scenes from August 5 told a different story. Residents of Guwahati are now all too familiar with the sight of knee-deep, murky water flooding their streets during the monsoon, a sad reality for a city that aspires to be 'smart.'
Earlier, Assam's Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Ashok Singhal blamed the neighboring state of Meghalaya for the floods in Guwahati. According to Singhal, a significant portion of the water that inundated the city on August 5 came from the hills of Meghalaya. "The colour of the water that usually flows out of Guwahati's drains is black, but much of the water yesterday was red,” Singhal told the media the day after the deluge; the water from the adjoining state brings along the red soil of the hills. He, however, admitted that Guwahati's infrastructure was not equipped to handle such volumes of water, saying, "The amount of water has simply overwhelmed our drains."
Singhal also mentioned that there are plans to divert the water from Meghalaya to the Silsako and Deepor Beel areas in the future, but whether this will provide a long-term solution remains uncertain.
Despite the explanations, the fact remains that several parts of Guwahati remained waterlogged even after the worst was over, with daily life severely disrupted.
‘Flood Jihad’: A Controversial Claim
Adding fuel to the fire, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma accused a private university in Meghalaya, the University of Science and Technology, of engaging in what he called a "flood jihad." According to Sarma, the university demolished hills and cut down trees on its campus to build new structures, which he claims is contributing to the severe waterlogging in Guwahati.
These incidents have brought the effectiveness of the desiltation project under severe scrutiny.
Speaking to GPlus, Padma Shree Awardee Ajoy Dutta criticised the entire operation as a sham. "Desiltation project is a lie. Not a single culvert in Guwahati has been desilted since the construction of the drains or culverts," Dutta remarked. He added, "I challenge them if they have ever cleaned the drains under roads. Drains under roads are all choked because of which the desiltation project is a total failure."
Dutta went on to explain that merely removing the covers and superficially cleaning the drains is not enough. He argued that a proper contour survey should have been conducted to ensure the project’s success, but he doubts this was ever done. "Silsako Beel is a natural reservoir and was a catchment area and it cannot possibly store all water," Dutta added, highlighting the need for a more comprehensive approach to the city's flood management.
However, talking to GPlus, an official from GMC revealed that the budget for the desiltation project was a whopping Rs 13 crore. "There are 292 drains and 36 contractors are working on the desiltation project, and others are handled by PWD," the official said.
However, the process is not without its challenges. "Since the silt is slurry after it is taken out of the drains, it takes 24 to 48 hours to dry. We have tried many times to carry the waste or silt in our vehicles after desiltation, but it slips onto the roads and makes them dirty," the official explained. Despite these efforts, the official admitted that the city's drainage system is still struggling to cope with the heavy rain. "Even if we are desilting almost every day, rainwater cannot be stopped because the major outlets where water gets stored rise above the normal level. So where will the water go?" he questioned.
The official also hinted at future plans, stating, "After October 24, a new tender will be floated for the desiltation project," indicating that the GMC is aware of the shortcomings and is looking to improve the situation.
While these explanations and future promises provide some hope, the immediate reality is that Guwahati continues to suffer from flooding, despite the crores spent on preventing it. The blame game between Assam and Meghalaya, and the accusations of "flood jihad," do little to solve the problem that Guwahati’s residents face every monsoon. As the city wades through yet another season of floods, the question remains: will there ever be a lasting solution, or will crores continue to be washed down the drain year aft
