K Anurag in Guwahati
Flash floods that hit Assam's capital Guwahati on Friday evening have thrown life out of gear in the city and rubbished claims of the state administration of being prepared to handle such an eventuality.
Rampant encroachment on hill areas, clogged drains, narrow roads, inadequate garbage disposal system and round-the-clock traffic congestion on the arterial routes have added to the woes.
The thunder shower that lasted for over an hour on Friday evening led to swirling streams of water on the city's streets while hundreds of vehicles remained stranded for hours.
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In PHOTOS: Flash floods hit Guwahati, one feared dead
Many localities were inundated to such an extent that residents had to wade through the water-logged roads to safer places.
Even the state secretariat and assembly complex were inundated by the flash floods.
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In PHOTOS: Flash floods hit Guwahati, one feared dead
The main thoroughfare of the city, Guwahati-Shillong Road too was submerged under waist-deep water at certain points while the situation was worse along Zoo Road and GNB Road.
Binoy Mohan Das, a state Treasury Department employee, was swept inside an open drain hole on the pavement at the posh Zoo-Narangi crossing in the city. His body has still not been retrieved.
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In PHOTOS: Flash floods hit Guwahati, one feared dead
Enraged city residents on Saturday blocked traffic along arterial Zoo Road for hours in protest of the failure of the administration to protect lives and property in the wake of such natural phenomenon, which are common in the northeast.
The heavy showers triggered landslides in some hill areas in the city. Mud and slush was deposited on roads in foothills areas like in Hengerabar, Kahilipara and Lal Ganesh, blocking the traffic movement.
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