Assam, Meghalaya form joint committee to probe flood allegations

Assam and Meghalaya have agreed to establish a joint committee to investigate allegations that a private university is contributing to flooding in Guwahati by flattening hills on their shared border.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had accused the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya (USTM) of being responsible for a ‘flood jihad’ after heavy rains inundated Guwahati on Aug 5.

USTM is situated on a low hill in Meghalaya’s Ri-Bhoi district, which borders southern Guwahati.

On Sep 5, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma announced in Shillong that both states had decided to form a "small committee" to address the concerns raised by Assam regarding the issue.

“I had a conversation with the Assam Chief Minister recently, and we decided to form a joint committee with officials from both states to look into the concerns raised by Assam and others,” he said.

He continued, "We would form the committee within a week to resolve most of the issues."

Following the urban flood on Aug 5, Sarma criticized USTM, alleging that the university flattened four to five hills on its campus to construct new buildings. He claimed that this alteration led to artificial flooding in Guwahati and surrounding areas.

“Rainwater used to enter Guwahati slowly earlier. The flow became faster since the USTM was established,” he said.

Mahbubul Hoque, an entrepreneur from Barak Valley in southern Assam, is the founder and chancellor of USTM, which was established in 2011.