Heavy rain lashed Assam’s capital, Guwahati, on Monday, leading to widespread waterlogging that disrupted daily life and inconvenienced commuters and school students. Many key roads were flooded, and several homes were inundated.
Water accumulation was reported on nearly all peripheral roads in the city, causing severe traffic congestion and leaving people stranded in their vehicles for hours. Commuters, including office workers, school children, and ambulances, were reportedly stuck until late in the evening due to the inundated roads.
Pranoy Sharma, a resident, shared his experience: “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 kilometers and just met her,” he said, holding her in his arms on a flooded street.
In response to the inclement weather, the Kamrup Metropolitan administration, which primarily oversees Guwahati, ordered the closure of all educational institutions on Tuesday. “In view of the flash flood caused by heavy rains in Guwahati City, all educational institutes, both government and private, including colleges and coaching centers, will remain closed tomorrow within the Guwahati Municipal Corporation area,” an official communique stated.
Severe waterlogging was reported from multiple areas, including 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.
Residents also reported power outages in several areas. Pallavi Deka, an assistant professor of political science at Handique Girls’ College, described the situation: “From my college, it took me around four hours to travel six kilometers. I had to park my car on the road and walk for another hour to reach home around 11 pm. I have never seen such a situation in Guwahati.”
The Meteorological Department has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in isolated places across Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, and Nagaland.
Assam Congress President Bhupen Kumar Borah commented on the situation, saying, “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.”
Lurinjyoti Gogoi of the Assam Jatiya Parishad expressed his concerns, stating that it is unfortunate that common people are suffering due to the “inefficiency of the minister concerned.”
