Guwahati, Jul 24: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said rampant development activities in Meghalaya’s hills bordering Guwahati were responsible for frequent widespread flooding in the city.
Addressing a press conference here, Sarma said the matter is being heard by the Supreme Court, where an empowered committee has submitted a report presenting a grim picture on the effect of rapid developmental work on Guwahati.
“I think the Meghalaya government has to take a sympathetic consideration regarding the impact in Assam. I will appeal to the Meghalaya government to see how the development in and around Jorabat can be controlled. Otherwise, Guwahati will be an unmanageable city,” he said.
Sarma said that keeping Guwahati intact is going to be difficult if the situation is not controlled.
“The amount of water coming down cannot be resisted by any type of drainage. I am talking to the Meghalaya CM. The Supreme Court is seized of the matter and any day it will come up for hearing. We will argue in the apex court, as we don’t want to talk good or bad about a neighbouring state,” he said.
Sarma said the matter has been examined by a Supreme Court-constituted empowered committee, which has already given a “very devastating” report, citing that the development in Jorabat, particularly in University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) and surrounding areas, will pose a huge threat to Guwahati.
“You can see the USTM, but what is happening at its backside is much more dangerous. You should see what is happening around 10 km from Jorabat. Beyond USTM, there has been more devastation of the hills,” the CM claimed.
In August 2024, Sarma had held USTM and its owner-cum-chancellor Mahbubul Hoque responsible for “flood jihad” against Guwahati, claiming that the water flowing down from the varsity campus, which is located on a hill adjacent to the city, led to repeated massive flooding.
“Meghalaya says that they need development; why only Assam should be developed. Their lands are hills. If they don’t do anything on the hills, where will they get plains. So, they have their own arguments. ..The matter is in the Supreme Court,” he said at the presser.
Meghalaya, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh; they have the right to develop their states, while the impact will be felt in Assam as it is in the plains, Sarma asserted.
“Even Guwahati airport is now under threat because of the water coming from a hillock of Meghalaya in that part,” the Assam CM claimed.
Earlier during the day, Assam Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Kaushik Rai chaired a meeting to assess the prevailing flood situation in Guwahati, and review the preparedness of agencies in tackling urban flooding.
He directed all the agencies concerned, including the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC), Public Works Department (Roads) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), to undertake extensive cleaning and desilting of drains across the city, including those along the national highways passing through Guwahati, to ensure the free flow of stormwater and minimise waterlogging.
Rai asked the District Commissioner of Kamrup Metropolitan to prepare a comprehensive standard operating procedure (SoP) for the maintenance of the city’s drainage system, along with a well-defined annual maintenance calendar.
He emphasised that drain cleaning should not be treated as a one-time exercise, but carried out systematically before, during and after the monsoon, and wherever necessary, even after every heavy spell of rain.
The minister said effective planning, timely maintenance and accountability among all stakeholder agencies were essential to mitigating urban flooding, and enhancing Guwahati’s resilience against recurring waterlogging. (PTI)
