Heavy rains have exposed Basistha’s growing flood problem, with several areas facing waterlogging, silt deposits and damage
Guwahati’s artificial flooding crisis continues to worsen, with newer localities that had previously not witnessed flood-like conditions now facing destructive inundation after every spell of rain.
Basistha has emerged as the latest flashpoint in Guwahati’s worsening flooding crisis, with large parts of the area witnessing severe waterlogging and inundation.
Over the past night alone, there have been at least three separate instances of rainwater entering homes, causing significant damage to property and belongings. In several cases, torrents carrying heavy loads of silt and debris swept into residential premises, damaging furniture and other valuables.
Residents said they are now living in constant fear, with many staying awake through the night to move valuables to safer places in case rainwater entering their homes.
“Recently, rainwater and silt entered my home, destroying all my belongings. My furniture and other valuables were completely damaged,” Khagen Nayak, an elderly resident of Barpathar in Basistha, at the foothills of Sandhyachal Hill, told GPlus.
“Where will I stay? We live in constant fear,” Nayak said.
The greater Basistha area had not witnessed such episodes in the past. The main road leading to the Basistha Temple remained inundated for at least two full days following spells of heavy rain between July 19 and July 23, disrupting the movement of vehicles and commuters.
The alternate route to the Basistha Temple area via Games Village near Lalmati also becomes severely waterlogged after every spell of rain. With few alternatives available, many residents, including office-goers and students, are often forced to walk through knee-deep or even thigh-deep water to reach their homes.
The worsening situation has raised concerns over the factors contributing to flooding in Basistha, Barpathar, Latakata, Ganesh Nagar, Bakarapara, Patarkuchi, Lalmati, Indira Nagar, Games Village, Nalapara and Beharbari.
Many residents who spoke to GPlus pointed to several factors, including rampant hill cutting and tree felling in areas bordering Assam and Meghalaya.
“In my younger days, there used to be only a handful of houses in the greater Basistha locality. People hardly had walls and concrete structures on their premises, allowing rainwater to flow seamlessly into the natural river channels,” an elderly resident and social worker told GPlus.
He said the situation had changed drastically, with homes and heavy concrete infrastructure now being constructed with little regard for the natural topography of the area.
Pradyut Bordoloi, veteran politician and newly elected MLA from the Dispur constituency, recently visited the affected areas and urged Basistha residents to keep a check on illegal hill cutting, which he identified as a primary factor behind the worsening situation.
He said addressing the problem was the responsibility of citizens as much as it was of the government.
Bordoloi also highlighted the topography of the area, describing it as a valley surrounded by high hills on almost all sides.
“This is not an overnight problem. This area is like a valley, and a majority of the rainwater comes from the Meghalaya side,” the legislator said.
He also pointed to the Jorabat stretch of National Highway 27 in Guwahati, which falls within his constituency, saying it remained inaccessible to commuters for nearly 48 to 60 hours following recent heavy rains.
Over the past two weeks, traffic had to be diverted at Jorabat on at least three occasions because of severe waterlogging and silt accumulation, leaving commuters and vehicles stranded for hours. Light motor vehicles (LMVs) travelling towards Guwahati were diverted at Digaru, while those heading out of the city were diverted at Koinadhara Point.
Landslides have also emerged as a major concern. Guwahati has reported several landslides over the past two to three weeks, with the Basistha area also affected. Swargapur, an area bordering Meghalaya near Basistha, witnessed a landslide, although no injuries or fatalities were reported.
Earlier this week, Kamrup (Metro) Deputy Commissioner Swapneel Paul directed the Soil Conservation Department to take immediate measures to prevent erosion and landslides in the Latakata and Pilingkata areas.
The issue was reviewed during a District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) meeting on monsoon-related damage.
Satendra Nath Bhattacharya, BJP councillor for Ward No. 44, also highlighted the area’s geography while speaking to GPlus recently.
He said the ward, situated in the foothills bordering Meghalaya, does not traditionally suffer from chronic internal water stagnation because rainwater usually flows quickly towards other parts of Guwahati and eventually into the Brahmaputra. However, he identified what he described as a “severe silt crisis” as a major concern.
According to Bhattacharya, torrential rain carries massive amounts of soft soil from the neighbouring hills, clogging Guwahati’s drainage systems despite regular desiltation efforts.
“As long as people continue constructing houses and cutting trees in the hillside, our flash flood and silt problems won’t be resolved,” another local resident said, adding that the soft soil naturally moves towards the plains during heavy rainfall and blocks drainage networks regardless of how frequently municipal crews clean them.
Beyond hill cutting and silt deposition, residents have also raised concerns over encroachment along the Basistha River, identifying it as another factor behind recurring flooding.
Two major water channels passing through the area have gradually been constricted and reduced to little more than drains, limiting their water-carrying capacity.
During a recent high-level field visit, Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Kaushik Rai directed concerned officials to conduct an immediate survey of encroached land along the banks of the Basistha River.
Large-scale encroachment has affected the area, with several concrete houses and commercial establishments coming up close to the river channel and restricting the natural flow of water. When water levels rise, the overflow quickly inundates homes in surrounding neighbourhoods.
“The officials have been asked to collect the original map of the locality before the encroachment and compare it with the present situation,” an official source said.
Another source said official notices would be served to those found occupying encroached land once the survey is completed, potentially paving the way for an eviction drive.
“After the survey is completed, authorities will start issuing notices to the encroachers,” the source said.
The water channels flowing through Basistha originate deep inside Meghalaya’s Ri Bhoi district before making their way through Guwahati. Residents say that without a coordinated approach across both sides of the border to address hill preservation, unscientific construction, silt deposition and encroachment along river channels, Basistha and neighbouring areas will continue to face recurring flooding during the monsoon.