The Guwahati Deluge

The Guwahati Deluge

Dr Jyotsna Bhattacharjee

T he summer months are never pleasant for us. They imply sweltering heat, perspiration and a blazing sun. For weeks Guwahatians had been gasping under the blazing heat of a brilliant sun. Only those who sold soft drink, coconut water and ice cream were happy. This was the season for them to make pots of money. But the people were getting scorched by the intense heat and all of us were praying and waiting eagerly for a shower of rain to cool the city. Our prayers were answered, the sky opened up, and how!The rains were wild. The residents were awestruck at the intensity of nature’s fury. Very soon the entire city was under water due to the deluge.For years we have noticed water-logging in various parts of the city and the plight of the residents. In fact Guwahatians get ready to cope with the rains as best they can, before the advent of the rainy season. But this time the situation was much worse. We know that a single shower is enough to drown this B-grade city of ours, and some areas always get submerged after a shower lasting for a few minutes. Chandmari, RG Baruah Road and other areas like Lachit Nagar, Tarun Nagar and Nabin Nagar get submerged very soon. But this time the busy GS Road, which never faced water-logging before, was under waist-deep water. On June 14, a vast stretch of the road was under water. The motorists could not make out where the road was.It was amazing that a shower, lasting for so short a duration, could cause so much havoc in the city. The next morning arrived clear, large areas in the city were still under water, but the blazing sun beamed merrily. We thought that possibly the rains had departed. The city was still under knee-deep water and the residents of the city, especially in the low-lying areas, were hard at work to remove water from their homes as far as practicable. But before they could recover from their watery existence, again the clouds gathered up in the late afternoon to throw the city and its people out of gear in the customary fashion.That is our problem. In this sweltering summer when the sun mercilessly scorches us with its blazing rays, we eagerly wait for a cool shower, but along with the rains come water-logging, mud, slush and filth. So it is a Hobson’s choice for us. Both the sun and rains bring untold misery to us of different kinds. Both are equally pleasant and unpleasant — though they do seem to involve contradictions and go against the rule of logic. The blazing sun nearly bakes us alive, though it keeps the homes and the roads dry. On the other hand, rains do soothe us, yet they make artificial floods causing immense hardship to the people. In either case we are caught between the devil and the deep sea.The rains which started around 4.45 pm in the late afternoon on June 16 caught most of the commuters off guard when they were about to go to their respective homes after a torrid day in the office. The situation grew worse as the rains lashed the city for more than an hour, resulting in the accumulation of knee-deep water in some areas and waist-deep water in some other areas. People had to wade across the filth and stench on to the roads, lanes and by-lanes, and then to various homes all around the city.Vehicular traffic caused nasty jams in various areas, and some errant drivers made the situation worse by violating traffic rules. It was awful for the people to be confined inside their cars or buses in traffic jams on those submerged roads. The situation is still grim. In Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi and other mega cities too, large areas get submerged after heavy showers, but the accumulated water does not remain for weeks together as is seen in Guwahati. In those cities effective measures are taken to clear the water throughout the rainy season. Anyway, Guwahatians are prepared for any eventuality — since we can very well visualize the situation in the coming months. Through years of experience housewives have become adept in the art of cooking, eating and living on table tops. We have to manage as best as we can, since the political masters are apparently unaware of the plight of the taxpayers in this beleaguered city of ours. People living in low-lying areas are going through a harrowing time in this rain-soaked city. It is perhaps to be expected. How can the political masters know about the suffering of the afflicted people when they live a comfortable life far from the madding crowd? Our only fear is that if we have continuous rains for a couple of weeks, we may need a Noah’s ark to row us to safety — but whether we merit for it is another question. As long as the drainage system in Guwahati is not improved and blockages not cleared, people will continue to suffer. Is there any doubt about it?(The writer is a former HoD, Philosophy, Cotton College, Guwahati) source: sentinel assam