Minister Incharge of Revenue and Disaster Management Kyrmen Shylla on Thursday underscored the necessity of a proper drainage system along the National Highway, cautioning that recurring flooding is crippling traffic and exposing infrastructure gaps. “Yesterday, I was coming back from Guwahati, we were also stuck in the traffic for more than one hour. There are some parts where we need proper drainage because the flood happened on the road that shows we need some kind of drainage but whether is it feasible or not what kind of drainage can be done I don’t know I am not an expert but I have a feeling that if we have a proper drainage can be done. Our Engineers have tried their best for construction of the road infrastructure but we need to look after drainage,” Shylla said.
His statement came after heavy rains on Wednesday evening triggered fresh flooding at Jorabat, leaving National Highway-27 and NH-6 submerged under muddy waters. Runoff from the Meghalaya hills carried debris and silt, choking existing drains and paralysing traffic for hours, with vehicles stranded in long snarls stretching from Jorabat Tiniali up to 9th Mile.
