Artificial Floods Paralyse Guwahati on Ganesh Chaturthi

Guwahati, the so-called gateway to the Northeast, woke up to yet another cruel reminder of its crumbling civic infrastructure on Wednesday evening. A sudden downpour, lasting barely an hour, was enough to turn the city’s busiest roads into streams, paralysing traffic and trapping thousands of commuters. From Chandmari to Ganeshguri, from Zoo Road to Jorabat, the picture was the same—roads submerged, vehicles stranded, and frustration mounting.

The timing could not have been worse. Today marks Ganesh Chaturthi, one of the most significant festival days for the city. Yet the celebrations were drowned in chaos. The famed 8th Mile, Jorabat Ganesh Mandir, which draws hundreds of devotees on the occasion, was left completely surrounded by floodwaters. Instead of a festive ambience, the temple complex resembled a waterlogged swamp, its approach roads cut off under knee-to-waist-deep water.

The crisis was most visible on the Rukminigaon flyover, where a massive traffic snarl stretched for several kilometres. Vehicles crawled at a standstill above, while beneath the flyover, an “artificial flood” swallowed the underpass, leaving smaller cars and two-wheelers stranded. Bystanders were forced to push vehicles out of the water as engines stalled midstream.

The Six Mile to 8th Mile stretch bore the brunt of the deluge. Arterial roads, already narrowed by ongoing construction, were completely submerged. Pedestrians waded through drains overflowing with dirty water, while rickshaws and smaller vehicles abandoned the route entirely. The jam extended all the way towards Jorabat, choking one of the capital’s most vital entry points.

Residents expressed outrage at the authorities’ continued inability to address the recurring crisis. “We hear of crores being sanctioned for drainage every year, but when the rain comes, where is the drainage?. We are tired of excuses,” said a commuter.

The episode also underscored a deeper urban planning crisis. Experts have long warned that Guwahati’s wetlands and natural drainage basins are being concretised beyond repair. The Bharalu and Bahini rivers, once lifelines, have been reduced to open sewers. Stormwater drains are either clogged or encroached upon, leaving rainwater with no outlet. 

Traffic management collapsed under the pressure. Police personnel were overwhelmed as jams built up across multiple junctions simultaneously. Vehicles moved inch by inch through submerged stretches.

For Guwahatians, the images are painfully familiar: cars half-submerged near Ganeshguri, Zoo Road transformed into a canal, and underpasses doubling as reservoirs. The city that brands itself as the “Gateway to the Northeast” continues to sink even under a short spell of rain.

The sight of a Ganesh temple complex, arterial flyovers, and residential colonies drowning in knee-deep water on Ganesh Chaturthi is more than an inconvenience—it is a symbol of civic neglect.

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