HT DIGITAL
GUWAHATI, AUGUST 13: Guwahati witnessed intense waterlogging and traffic jams during Tuesday night and Wednesday morning following relentless heavy rain, which led to extensive artificial flooding in large areas of the city.
A very troubling incident had taken place close to the Beltola Wireless area, where a 108 emergency ambulance carrying a patient from Tezpur to Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) had stopped on the middle of the road due to a breakdown. The driver claimed that the engine guard was dislodged while driving through the flooded section, letting water enter the engine and thereby paralyzing the vehicle.
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“I had to pass through the waterlogged road in Wireless area and while doing so, the engine guard came off and as a result water went inside the engine, causing the vehicle to get immobilized in the middle of the road,” the driver explained. The situation was alarming as the patient required urgent medical care, underscoring how flooding can jeopardize critical services and highlighting the risks stemming from inadequate drainage systems and poor urban planning.
Fortunately enough, the rains started late at night, leading to lighter traffic compared to normal. The authorities are concerned that, if the rains had begun earlier, the situation might have replicated last year’s floods, which paralyzed the city and also created political controversy. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had back then controversially blamed the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya (USTM) for the flooding, terming it “flood jihad.”
By Wednesday morning, most residents woke up to discover main roads underwater, making city streets into aquatic channels. Commuters had a very difficult time navigating through the morning rush hour, with cars struggling to swim through the flooded roads.
Low-lying areas like Anil Nagar, Hatigaon, and Beltola again suffered the worst of the flooding, with water flowing down the roads like rivers. Ganeshguri, R G Baruah Road, and Rukminigaon also witnessed similar scenes of disruption.
