GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday, July 24, warned that indiscriminate hill cutting and unregulated construction along the Assam-Meghalaya border, particularly in the Jorabat belt and around the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM), are worsening Guwahati's flood crisis and pose a serious long-term threat to the city.
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Addressing a press conference at his office in Dispur, the Chief Minister said a Supreme Court-appointed empowered committee has submitted what he described as a "devastating" report on environmental degradation in the border region.
Sarma said that while USTM remains the most visible landmark in the area, the larger concern is the extensive hill cutting and environmental damage taking place within a 10-kilometre radius behind the campus.
According to the Chief Minister, the volume of run-off water flowing down from the denuded Meghalaya hills has increased significantly and exceeds the carrying capacity of Guwahati's existing drainage infrastructure.
"I will only appeal to the Meghalaya government to see how development around Jorabat can be controlled. Otherwise, Guwahati will become an unmanageable city. The kind of water coming down cannot be resisted by any kind of drainage," Sarma said.
He added that the issue goes beyond urban drainage and is directly linked to environmental degradation in the neighbouring state.
Acknowledging Meghalaya's developmental needs, Sarma said the neighbouring state has argued that its predominantly hilly terrain leaves little scope for expansion outside hill areas.
"Meghalaya says they need development. If they don't develop the hills, where will they get plains? They have their own argument. I do not want to join the issue. The matter is now before the Supreme Court," he said.
The Chief Minister appealed to the Meghalaya government to take Assam's vulnerabilities into account and regulate construction activity in and around Jorabat to minimise downstream flooding.
He said the matter is currently pending before the Supreme Court, and the Assam government will present its case based on the findings of the Supreme Court-appointed empowered committee when the matter comes up for hearing.
Highlighting the impact of the problem, Sarma said traffic had to be diverted at Jorabat on three occasions over the past fortnight due to severe waterlogging and silt accumulation, leaving commuters stranded for hours.
He further warned that the increasing run-off from the Meghalaya hills is now posing a threat to Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, underscoring the wider consequences of unchecked hill cutting and construction activities along the interstate border.