Guwahati: DC Issues 2-Hour Deadline for Silt Clearance to Avert Urban Floods

In a decisive move under "Mission Flood Free 2025," Kamrup (Metro) District Commissioner and Chairman of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Sumit Sattawan, IAS, has mandated the immediate removal of silt within two hours of drain de-siltation activities. The order, which comes into effect immediately, warns that departments and contractors failing to comply will face stringent legal action under various provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

The directive follows alarming reports from monitoring committees that silt extracted from drains is often left unattended for over 24 hours in several areas, far exceeding the stipulated two-hour limit. In many instances, a single rainfall has washed the dumped silt back into the drains, rendering the de-siltation exercise ineffective and creating unhygienic conditions along key city roads. This negligence not only defeats the very purpose of the exercise but also causes significant inconvenience to commuters and contributes to Guwahati's persistent urban flooding woes.

Expressing serious concern, DC Sattawan stated that if such practices continue unchecked, they will severely undermine flood mitigation efforts and exacerbate public hardships during the monsoon season. In view of the emergent nature of the work, he passed the order ex-parte to ensure strict enforcement.

The directive clearly specifies that any deviation or negligence in executing de-siltation tasks — whether by departmental engineers or contractor firms — will be treated as an obstruction to public service. Violators may be prosecuted under Sections 41(C), 51(b), 55(1)(2), and 58(1)(2) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

The District Administration’s strong stance signals a zero-tolerance approach towards inefficiency as it pushes for cleaner, flood-resilient streets across Guwahati in the run-up to 2025.