GUWAHATI, June 27 � Incessant heavy rains throughout last night led to an unprecedented deluge in East Guwahati and Dispur Legislative Assembly Constituency (LAC) areas here today. It once again exposed the vulnerability of the city�s drainage system and the serious threat posed to the city by a section of the land greedy people, with their bids to eliminate the city hills and wetlands. The severity of the flood compelled hundreds of Guwahatians to flee their homes and triggered a number of landslides and electrocution-related tragedies.
The floodwaters inundated both the Assembly Secretariat and the Old MLA Hostel complexes of the State. Some places of Senduri Ali and LKRB Road areas of Nabin Nagar under the East Guwahati LAC, reported neck-deep water on their roads. Residents of several other Guwahati areas tasted urban flood for the first time.
The authorities have to deploy three teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) with 16 boats in Tarun Nagar, Rajgarh and Lachit Nagar areas and three teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) with three boats in these areas to rescue the marooned people. Eight pump-sets were pressed into service to pump out stormwater from the affected areas, said the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) in a press release.
The situation reached such a state that the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) had to distribute drinking water in some of the affected areas.
Road communication via the RG Baruah Road, Saru Mataria Zakir Hussain Path, Hengerabari Road, Zoo-Narengi Road remained cut-off for the small vehicles and pedestrians.
Meanwhile, the Borjhar-based Regional Meteorology Centre (RMC) has predicted rain or thundershower at many places over the NE region during the next 48 hours since this morning.
It has also warned heavy rainfall, that is � 7 cm to 12 cm � at isolated places over Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland-Manipur-Mizoram-Tripura Meteorological Sub-divisions. During the same period, heavy to very heavy rainfall, that is � 7 cm to 24 cm � would occur at isolated places over Assam-Meghalaya Meteorological Sub-division.
It needs mention here that according to the RMC data, Borjhar Airport received an amount of 10 mm of rainfall during the past 24 hours since 8 am yesterday, while Rupnagar area recorded a rainfall of 57 mm, Chandrapur recorded a rainfall of 21 mm and Khetri recorded a rainfall of 12 mm during the same period.
According to the rainfall data available with the State�s Water Resources Department (WRD), Chandmari headquarters of the Department recorded a rainfall of 84.6 mm during the same period, while Beltola Chariali River Research Station of the Department recorded a rainfall of 88 mm during the period.
In the worst-hit Nabin Nagar area, under the East Guwahati LAC, some affected people took shelter on the roofs of the multi-storied buildings of their neigbhours. Rickshaw-pullers were seen again as major saviours of the marooned people, although against an exorbitant charge. As usual, Nabin Nagar was the worst hit area, along with Anil Nagar and Tarun Nagar, the other two traditionally worst deluge-hit areas of the LAC.
The road leading to the Assembly Secretariat from the Dispur Last Gate was under knee-deep water this morning and the Old MLA Hostel and the Assembly Secretariat complexes were also submerged. Floodwater entered even the Assembly Secretariat offices and some old Assam-type buildings of the Old MLA Hostel complex. Two pumps were pressed into service to free the Old MLA Hostel complex from inundation, while eight pumps were pressed into service to free the Assembly Secretariat complex from submergence, said GP Das, Principal Secretary of the State Assembly.
The RG Baruah Road, under the East Guwahati LAC, was under knee-deep water between the Gauhati Commerce College point and Zoo Tiniali and between the Doordarshan Kendra and the State Zoo till this afternoon.
The Rajgarh Road, under the same LAC, was under knee-deep water between the Rajgarh Bihutoli and the Bharalu Bridge for most part of the day.
In Pub-Sarania area, under the same LAC, a portion of the main road, the bye-lanes number one to five connecting it with the Rajgarh Road were under knee to waist-deep water and most of the residential complexes located along these bye-lanes were submerged. Floodwater entered most of the dwelling houses located on these bye-lanes.
The Ambikagiri Nagar area, the Japarigog Road area, the Sundarpur area, under the same LAC, were also under water. In the Dispur LAC area, a vast area of Sarumataria, a vast area of Panjabari, Rukmini Gaon, Rukmini Nagar etc, were also under water.
In the West Guwahati LAC, the stretch between Railway Gate Number-1 and Maligaon Chariali of the AT Road was also submerged by the storm runoff of the Nilachal (Kamakhya) Hill.
