Road engineering flaws worsen urban flooding in Assam, study finds

Road engineering deficiencies have aggravated prolonged urban flooding in Assam, according to a study by a West Bengal-based firm submitted to the Meghalaya government. The study examined waterlogging at Jorabat and Ninth Mile in Guwahati and found major shortcomings in road profiles and cross-drainage systems. Experts from IITs and NITs said both areas are natural bowl-shaped depressions that lack adequate stormwater evacuation capacity.

At Jorabat, the carriageway was lowered during flyover construction, deepening the depression, while a single culvert provides no drainage redundancy. At Ninth Mile, culvert barrels offer only about three square metres of waterway, insufficient for peak inflow. The assamtribune.com reports that rapid urbanisation has increased solid waste clogging drainage, reducing capacity with each flood.

Residents of Sivasagar, Jorhat, and Dergaon reported similar problems. In Sivasagar's Ward No. 3, homes were submerged under 2.5-3 feet of water for over three weeks. Nasiman Zaman, a former geography professor, alleged that a raised four-lane highway with only three small culverts blocked natural drainage. The report notes that road projects aimed at improving connectivity are inadvertently creating barriers to natural drainage.