Shillong, Sep 22: Cabinet minister and Jirang MLA Sosthenes Sohtun on Tuesday said poor drainage along National Highway projects and garbage-filled streams were contributing to flooding in the constituency, as he pushed back against Assam’s repeated allegations that activities in Meghalaya were responsible for floods in the neighbouring state.
Sohtun said Jirang has been witnessing flooding even after light rainfall, pointing to problems with the drainage systems and outlets built along the highways.
“It may be minor or major but we have found that with the construction of national highways, especially the drainage, its outlet, we don’t see where it ends,” he said.
According to Sohtun, the situation is further aggravated by waste being dumped into streams and a lack of regular cleaning, which affects the natural flow of water.
“Through dumping of waste there, through not cleaning the streams, it further adds to the flood even when there is only little rain,” he said.
He also said highway construction had affected the flow of water through existing channels, contributing to flooding in the area.
On Assam’s allegations that hill cutting in Meghalaya, particularly around the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM), was contributing to flooding in Guwahati, Sohtun said Meghalaya has often been blamed whenever Assam faces floods.
“Sometimes flood in main Guwahati they blame Meghalaya, sometimes beyond Sonapur also,” he said.
Sohtun said it was unfair to blame Meghalaya alone, pointing out that construction activities were taking place on both sides of the border.
He said the rapid growth of cities was also putting pressure on existing streams and drainage channels, reducing their capacity to carry water.
“Cities keep growing every month, all of those add to causing the streams to not be able to flow properly in the channel, the capacity that is there causing these streams to flood,” he added.
