GUWAHATI, Sept 11 � A short spell of rains in the afternoon hours inundated the roads of Guwahati city, exposing the face of the Guwahati Development Department, the civic bodies and the district administration.
The tall claims of the administration to make Guwahati flood-free, submerged under the floodwaters that threw people�s lives out of gear for several hours.
As always, the RG Baruah Road, GNB Road and MRD Road were completely submerged in water, with knee-deep density at places. Parts of GS Road also witnessed waterlogging.
Rush on the roads to avoid waterslogging followed by traffic jams that continued for hours made the situation more chaotic.
�For Guwahatians, it is an accepted practice now to gear up for braving the knee-deep waters after rainfall as it would be a folly to expect anything from the State Government or the civic administration. Neither can they clear the drain blockades, nor do they realise the necessity to pump out floods waters from the flood affected areas to provide some relief to the stranded citizens,� Bhargav Deka, a young professional, said.
Despite the frequent recurrence of flash-floods in Guwahati, it is evident now that the infrastructure to prevent urban floods is not in place in Guwahati and the drain desilting attempts made by the Government have failed miserably to serve the purpose.
In the Chandmari area, the commuters faced immense difficulties due to heavy waterlogging. The footpaths were completely submerged in the flood waters and movement of vehicles on the flooded roads made things worse for the pedestrians.
Localities such as Panbazar, Nabin Nagar, Anil Nagar, Rajgarh, Tarun Nagar, Silpukhuri and Gandhibasti among others bore the brunt of the rain-induced ravages. Many other areas of the city, including the lanes and by lanes also witnessed severe waterlogging.
Irked at the Government�s failure to work out a scientific plan to solve the waterlogging problem of the city, Save Guwahati Build Guwahati president Dhiren Baruah blamed it on lack of sincerity on the part of the State Government and its departments concerned.
�The government departments are cheating people in the name of addressing the artificial floods. It is not an impossible work to solve this problem, but here, we can see that the problem is aggravating with every passing year,� Baruah told The Assam Tribune.
�There is a serious lack of interdepartmental coordination and no department is ready to take the responsibility. Moreover, the complacent attitude of the State government on this entire issue is another major hurdle,� Baruah said, asking the State Government to work out a plan with the SGBG instead of wasting money on the impracticable flood control measures.
GUWAHATI, Sept 11 � A short spell of rains in the afternoon hours inundated the roads of Guwahati city, exposing the face of the Guwahati Development Department, the civic bodies and the district administration.
The tall claims of the administration to make Guwahati flood-free, submerged under the floodwaters that threw people�s lives out of gear for several hours.
As always, the RG Baruah Road, GNB Road and MRD Road were completely submerged in water, with knee-deep density at places. Parts of GS Road also witnessed waterlogging.
Rush on the roads to avoid waterslogging followed by traffic jams that continued for hours made the situation more chaotic.
�For Guwahatians, it is an accepted practice now to gear up for braving the knee-deep waters after rainfall as it would be a folly to expect anything from the State Government or the civic administration. Neither can they clear the drain blockades, nor do they realise the necessity to pump out floods waters from the flood affected areas to provide some relief to the stranded citizens,� Bhargav Deka, a young professional, said.
Despite the frequent recurrence of flash-floods in Guwahati, it is evident now that the infrastructure to prevent urban floods is not in place in Guwahati and the drain desilting attempts made by the Government have failed miserably to serve the purpose.
In the Chandmari area, the commuters faced immense difficulties due to heavy waterlogging. The footpaths were completely submerged in the flood waters and movement of vehicles on the flooded roads made things worse for the pedestrians.
Localities such as Panbazar, Nabin Nagar, Anil Nagar, Rajgarh, Tarun Nagar, Silpukhuri and Gandhibasti among others bore the brunt of the rain-induced ravages. Many other areas of the city, including the lanes and by lanes also witnessed severe waterlogging.
Irked at the Government�s failure to work out a scientific plan to solve the waterlogging problem of the city, Save Guwahati Build Guwahati president Dhiren Baruah blamed it on lack of sincerity on the part of the State Government and its departments concerned.
�The government departments are cheating people in the name of addressing the artificial floods. It is not an impossible work to solve this problem, but here, we can see that the problem is aggravating with every passing year,� Baruah told The Assam Tribune.
�There is a serious lack of interdepartmental coordination and no department is ready to take the responsibility. Moreover, the complacent attitude of the State government on this entire issue is another major hurdle,� Baruah said, asking the State Government to work out a plan with the SGBG instead of wasting money on the impracticable flood control measures.
