In a scathing critique of the previous administration, Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma has pointed fingers at the Congress government for the flood crisis currently plaguing Dibrugarh. Dr. Sarma, while assessing the flood situation in Dibrugarh, stated that the broken embankments causing the flooding were constructed during Congress’s tenure.
Addressing the media, the Chief Minister did not mince words while responding to Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi’s criticisms. Without directly naming Gogoi, Dr. Sarma remarked, “If someone wants to blame their own father for the broken embankments built during the Congress era, what can I do? These broken embankments were not constructed by us; they were built during Congress’s rule.”
Chief Minister Dr. Sarma visited the artificially flood-affected areas of Dibrugarh, including HS Road and Mahalaya Road. During his visit, he engaged in dialogues with the flood-affected residents, who informed him about the severe hardships they were facing, including a week-long power outage caused by submerged electric transformers.
The Chief Minister acknowledged that unauthorized encroachments and the blockage of the Dibrugarh Town Protection (DTP) drain had significantly contributed to the unprecedented rise in water levels in the city. He explained that the reduced width of the drain due to encroachments had limited its capacity to effectively channel excess rainwater, leading to the recurrent problem of waterlogging in Dibrugarh.
Dr. Sarma elaborated on the complexities of the situation, stating, “The ten-foot wide DTP drain has become severely constricted over the years due to encroachments and the construction of buildings along its sides. This has made it challenging to manage the waterlogging issue in Dibrugarh effectively. The DTP drain serves as the primary drainage channel for the city, with water from all other drains flowing into it. Since June 27, the blockage of this drain has caused most of the city’s roads and wards to be inundated.”
Despite deploying ten high-power pumps to discharge excess rainwater into the Brahmaputra River, the situation has shown little improvement. The Chief Minister assured residents that a comprehensive plan would be implemented to resolve Dibrugarh’s waterlogging issues once the situation stabilizes. He promised that measures would be taken to address the root causes of the problem, including clearing encroachments and unblocking the drains.
Dr. Sarma reassured the residents that the government would take steps to eliminate encroachments and clean the blocked drains to tackle the underlying causes of waterlogging. “We will implement a well-thought-out strategy to address the waterlogging issue in Dibrugarh effectively,” he stated.
The Chief Minister’s remarks underscore the need for a diligent approach to urban planning and maintenance to prevent such crises in the future. As Dibrugarh grapples with the aftermath of the floods, the focus now shifts to the government’s actions to mitigate and resolve the city’s long-standing infrastructure woes.
