Guwahati's Drainage Effective, But Struggles In Heavy Rain: Ashok Singhal

Assam Housing & Urban Affairs and Irrigation Minister Ashok Singhal stressed that though drainage systems of Guwahati have a good carrying capacity, if the volume of water exceeds this capacity, it will inevitably overflow.

Addressing the issue of artificial floods that hit the city on August 5, 2024, Ashok Singhal stated that the government is working on solutions to tackle the issue.

Singhal said, “Artificial floods are very painful. I feel sorry for whatever happened on August 5. But we need to understand that we have a concrete drainage system in Guwahati. We also have a natural drainage system which we call Lakhijan, Bahini, Bhorolu, Mora Bhorolu, Pamohi and a few others. These drainage systems, both man-made and natural, have a good carrying capacity. However, if the volume of water exceeds this capacity, it will inevitably overflow.”

Highlighting the cause of the artificial floods, the Assam Cabinet Minister said that the rainfall that Guwahati received in just two hours was equal to a month's 25 percent rain.

“On August 5, the rainfall that we received from 3 pm to 5 pm was 25 percent of the rain that we usually receive during monsoons in a month. This means that one month's 25 percent rain was received in just two hours. This was what led to the problem,” he said.

Singhal also stated that the administration is working on the solutions for the problem.

“Earlier the water used to recede in four hours, now it takes just an hour,” the minister added.

He further said, “Now the bigger problem is that a huge amount of water comes from Meghalaya side. We are trying to address the problem. It is necessary to understand why the incident happened and how to prevent it in future.”

It may be mentioned that, on August 5, heavy rainfall caused significant disruption across the city, flooding homes, offices, and streets. Commuters found themselves stranded on roads and flyovers, unable to traverse the waterlogged areas.

Also Read: Assam CM Calls for Action After Record Rainfall and Flash Floods in Ri-Bhoi and Guwahati