Heavy rain leads to waterlogging, disruption of normal life in Guwahati

Heavy rain lashed Assam’s capital Guwahati on Monday, leading to waterlogging in several areas, inconveniencing commuters and school students.
    
Accumulation of water was reported from almost all peripheral roads in the city, with people stranded in their vehicles for hours amid heavy traffic.
    
People returning from office, school children and even ambulances were reportedly stuck till late in the evening due to inundated roads.
    
"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," said Pranoy Sharma, holding her in his arms on a flooded street.
    
In the wake of flash floods caused by torrential rainfall, all educational institutions within the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) area have been ordered to close on Tuesday, August 6. This directive, affecting both government and private schools, comes from the district commissioner's office and is enacted under Section 30.2 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, prioritizing public safety.

The official statement issued by the district commissioner reads, "In view of the situation arising out of the flash flood caused by heavy rains in Guwahati city that occurred on 05/08/2024, all the Educational Institutes (both Govt. and Private) are hereby declared closed on 06/08/2024 within the Guwahati Municipal Corporation area."
    
Waterlogging was reported from 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, among others.
    
Residents also complained of power cuts in many areas.
   
 "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," Handique Girls' College Assistant Professor (Political Science) Pallavi Deka told PTI.
    
The Met Department has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland.
    
Commenting on the development, Assam Congress President Bhupen Kumar Borah said in a post 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."
    
Assam Jatiya Parishad's Lurinjyoti Gogoi said it is unfortunate that common people are suffering due to the “inefficiency of the minister concerned”.