Aafrin Kidwai 
Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) has removed around 45,000 cubic metres of plastic waste and silt from 575 drains. Its target is to remove around 80,000 cubic metres from December 25 last year to March 7 to mitigate the annual flood problem.
The civic body has yet to remove the remaining 35,000 cubic metres of silt and waste before the rainy season, likely to start from next month.
“The removed plastic waste and silt have been dumped at east Boragaon. As of now, we can say that the GMC will be able to control the flood to a great extent. However, it will take at least another three years to make the city flood-free completely,” a GMC official told The Times of India.
The GMC is using super suckers, dumpers, excavators, and human labourers to complete the desilting. The civic body plans to cover a total of 408 km at a cost of Rs 70 crore.
Every year, the GMC spends roughly Rs 140 crore to clean and desilt the drains.
