Continuous rainfall has thrown life out of gear in Guwahati. Streets are waterlogged. Schools are shut. Public transport is nearly paralysed.
Heavy showers since Sunday night inundated several parts of the city. Water entered homes, shops, and even some school buildings. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted more rainfall in the coming days.
Paltan Bazaar, Hatigaon, Anil Nagar, Chandmari and Zoo Road areas reported severe flooding. Office-goers and students faced major hurdles. With few buses running, many commuters were stranded for hours or forced to walk long distances.
Auto-rickshaws and app-based cabs charged steep fares. Traffic crawled through knee-deep water in several areas. At key junctions, vehicles broke down, worsening the situation.
Several government and private schools declared a holiday due to safety concerns. Parents complained of last-minute notices and poor communication from school authorities.
Drainage failures worsened the flooding. Locals blame the Guwahati Municipal Corporation for not cleaning stormwater drains in time. Overflowing drains turned roads into streams. In some colonies, residents had to use buckets and pumps to remove water manually.
The Kamrup Metro district administration has put disaster response teams on alert. Pumps were deployed in major localities to flush out stagnant water.
Officials have advised citizens to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary. Meanwhile, the IMD has issued a yellow alert, warning of continued moderate to heavy rain across Assam till Friday.
Urban flooding has become a recurring issue in Guwahati. Locals and experts have long pointed out the poor planning, clogged drains, and unchecked construction as root causes.
Unless permanent drainage solutions are implemented, Guwahati may continue to sink every monsoon.
