Sponge-city concept may mitigate flooding

At the fifth edition of the IE Thinc: CITIES series, presented by The Indian Express with Omidyar Network India and moderated by Sukrita Baruah, Principal Correspondent, panellists discussed how Guwahati, a growing urban centre, can tackle floods and droughts

On issues in urban planning Dr Abhijit Sharma: Citizens of Guwahati face anxiety at night as they head home, unsure if they will make it on time, given the infrastructure mess. Despite town planning efforts, the city faces serious issues. One key problem is the parastatal organisation GMDA (Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority), which operates without talking to people or understanding what they need. The municipal corporation, which should be responsible for urban planning under the 74th Amendment, is sidelined, leaving a governance gap. Development decisions remain with technocrats and bureaucrats, keeping citizens out of the process.

Additionally, Guwahati's urban development is heavily influenced by brokers. They have actually sub-let land and plots in their control and built Guwahati in a haphazard manner we see today. In the master plan, 0.02 per cent of the space was kept for open spaces. All of these have been encroached upon.

Furthermore, the drainage system is inadequate due to poor planning in present times and incomplete execution of the comprehensive development plan of 1972. While there are positive signs, such as the recent adoption of town planning schemes and a renewed focus on drainage, much work remains to fix the city's fundamental flaws and get things going.

A drainage plan from 1972, which was conceptualised by the Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority, was not fully implemented due to resource limitations. This led to a patchwork drainage system. Despite these challenges, there are positive signs: the government recently adopted town planning schemes in Guwahati and other parts of the state, signalling progress in land management. Additionally, if we revisit the drainage plan and focus on major channels, that approach could help improve water flow. These are initial steps but there is potential for further positive development.