Guwahati Grapples with Severe Waterlogging After Heavy Rainfall

Heavy rains drenched Guwahati on Monday, causing significant waterlogging and disrupting daily life. Many areas experienced severe flooding, leaving commuters and school children stranded for hours. The situation was particularly dire for those returning from work or school, with even ambulances stuck in traffic.

Pranoy Sharma shared his ordeal, saying, "My daughter is a Class-3 student and she left her school at 1:30 pm. But, the school bus continued to be stuck at Choy Mile. I also could not take out my car. So, I walked around three km and just met her," while holding his daughter on a flooded street.

Closure of Educational Institutions

The Kamrup Metropolitan administration decided to close all educational institutions on Tuesday due to the adverse weather conditions. An official statement read, "In view of the flash flood caused by heavy rains in Guwahati City, all educational institutes, both govt and private, including colleges, coaching centres will remain closed tomorrow within the Guwahati Municipal Corporation area."

Waterlogging was widespread, affecting areas such as Zoo Road, RG Baruah Road, GS Road, Nabin Nagar, Anil Nagar, Hatigaon, Ganeshguri, Hedayetpur, MLA quarters in Dispur, Lachit Nagar, Tarun Nagar, Jyotikuchi, Ghoramara, VIP Road, Rajgarh Road, Jorabat and Chatribari. Residents also faced power outages in many parts of the city.

Residents' Struggles

Pallavi Deka from Handique Girls College described her experience: "From my college, it took me around four hours to travel 6 km. I had to park my car on the road and walk for another one hour to reach home around 11 pm. I have never seen such a situation in Guwahati."

The Met Department has predicted more heavy rainfall for isolated places across Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland. This forecast raises concerns about further disruptions in the coming days.

Political Reactions

Assam Congress President Bhupen Kumar Borah criticised the situation on X: "Smart City smarting under unprecedented vikash it has seen since 2016. You can't use the flyovers if the roads below are flooded. Tall claims of development gone down the drain." Lurinjyoti Gogoi from Assam Jatiya Parishad expressed his disappointment: "It is unfortunate that common people are suffering due to the inefficiency of the minister concerned."

The heavy rain has highlighted infrastructural issues in Guwahati. The city's drainage system struggled to cope with the deluge, leading to widespread inconvenience and frustration among residents.

As authorities work to address these challenges, residents hope for swift action to prevent future occurrences. The ongoing weather conditions serve as a reminder of the need for robust infrastructure to handle extreme weather events effectively.