As the rains begin to arrive, clogged drains filled with plastic waste and sludge are once again raising fears of urban flooding in several parts of the city.

GMC Market Complexes in Guwahati Remain Empty Months After Opening

In localities such as Ganeshguri, Nabin Nagar, Zoo Tiniali and Athgaon, residents say drains remain blocked and unattended even though pre-monsoon cleaning was expected to be completed by now. With water already beginning to accumulate after short spells of rain, many fear that Guwahati may once again face avoidable flooding this monsoon.

In a narrow lane off GMCH Road, uncovered roadside drains are filled with leftover food, plastic bottles, disposable plates and oil waste. Residents say garbage continues to be dumped into these drains every day, while cleaning remains rare.

“People openly dump waste into the drains as if they are dustbins,” said a resident of Kachari Basti Road in Ganeshguri. “Plastic bags, food waste, bottles; everything is thrown there. Once it gets stuck, the water has nowhere to flow.”

He said cleaning inside the drains is hardly ever done.

“Sometimes the surface is cleaned, but the waste trapped deeper inside remains there. When the rain comes, it blocks the entire flow and the roads get flooded,” he said.

This concern is being echoed across different neighbourhoods.

In Nabin Nagar, a shopkeeper said the drains in the locality have remained clogged for months, with little effort made to clean them before the monsoon.

“These drains have been blocked for almost a year. Cleaning happens only once a year, and that is not enough. Because of that, flooding continues every monsoon,” he said.

According to him, the city should have completed desilting before the rainy season.

“Before the monsoon, everything should have been cleaned properly. But we have not seen any such work yet,” he added.

In Ganeshguri, another resident said repeated promises from the GMC have not translated into visible action on the ground.

“The drains are still clogged even though the GMC assured us they would be cleaned. Now whenever it rains, water quickly starts collecting on the roads because the drains cannot carry it away,” the resident said.

Residents of Zoo Tiniali say the situation is no better there.

“These drains are blocked and water remains outside my house. I have never seen them being cleaned,” said a resident of Shanti Path. “We heard that GMC would clean them, but nothing has happened.”

In Athgaon, residents of Sati Jaymati Road say poor drain maintenance has left the area vulnerable every monsoon.

“There is waterlogging here because drains are not cleaned properly. Basic maintenance is missing,” said resident Ameet Harlalka. “We hardly see GMC workers in this area.”

On nearby Balti Karkhana Road, residents say heavy rain makes the situation worse.

“Whenever it rains, the whole road gets submerged,” said Sandeep Sighania. “Children cannot go to school and people cannot cross the road easily. At night, the lack of streetlights makes it even more difficult.”

The complaints from across the city point to a larger problem, irregular drain maintenance despite repeated public commitments.

In January this year, the GMC launched a new fleet of mechanised sanitation vehicles to improve cleaning and waste collection across Guwahati. Officials flagged off sweeping machines, auto tippers, suction machines and dump tanks, saying the equipment would strengthen drain cleaning operations.

But residents in several areas say the promised improvement has not reached the ground.

Despite the addition of suction machines for drain cleaning, many roadside drains remain clogged with plastic waste, sludge and stagnant water.

A senior GMC official admitted that drain cleaning is supposed to happen throughout the year and that contractors are expected to clean drains every month.

“Drain cleaning is a continuous process. There are three important phases: pre-monsoon, during monsoon and post-monsoon when contractors are expected to take it seriously,” the official said.

However, the official acknowledged that the system is not always monitored effectively.

“Earlier, cleaning schedules were checked more closely. Now tenders are awarded annually, and sometimes drains are not cleaned as often as they should be,” he admitted.

That lack of monitoring, residents say, is one of the main reasons why drains remain blocked even before the rains intensify.

The official also said the GMC is trying to identify vulnerable flood-prone areas under the CITIIS 2.0 programme and include frequent drain maintenance in its waste management plan.

“We are identifying the areas that need continuous cleaning. It is part of the waste management master plan, but implementation sometimes fails,” he said.

At the same time, another major solution Guwahati’s drainage master plan is still under preparation.

For residents, this means the city is entering another monsoon season without either proper desilting or a completed drainage strategy.