A private university in Meghalaya has been blamed for the massive flooding in Guwahati, by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. He called the university’s gates with three domes “Mecca-like” and blamed such institutions for “destroying the education system”. The institute caught in the eye of the storm is the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM), located in Meghalaya’s Ri-Bhoi district, just across Assam’s border.
Heavy waterlogging has been witnessed in several places, like Jorabat, near the university during heavy rain since August 13. Jorabat is crucial as it is the entry point to Guwahati on the eastern side.
The construction work at USTM’s 100-acre campus is being blamed for the floods in Guwahati.
Sarma is blaming the hill-cutting for the university campus and deforestation. USTM is owned by a Bengali-Muslim, Mahbubul Hoque, a Muslim of Bengali origin from Assam’s Karimganj district. He is also the chancellor of the university.
DOMES, MECCA AND FLOOD JIHAD BEHIND ASSAM FLOODS?
On August 13, Himanta Biswa Sarma further attacked the university over its design. The main gates of the university have three domes on its top.
“It’s embarrassing to go there, you have to go under ‘Mecca’. What we are saying is that there should be a namghar (traditional Assamese place of worship), there also. ‘Mecca-Medina’, a church. Make all threeâæ They have kept a ‘Mecca’ there. Let them make a namghar, make a church. We will walk under all three, why will we walk under just one,” Sarma said.
“USTM is a danger to Assam. We will go to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) against it,” said Sarma.
He also alleged the university administration was indulging in what he termed as the “father of jihad”, after being questioned on his “flood jihad” remarks.
Sarma has claimed the hills have been cut towards Assam’s Guwahati, and not Meghalaya. “Why did the hills cut towards Guwahati and not towards Meghalaya? Is this not flood jihad?” he questioned earlier.
Sarma has also posted satellite images of Meghalaya’s Greater Jorabat Hills.
“After the recent flash floods in Guwahati, we have gone through satellite images of Meghalaya’s Greater Jorabat Hills, located 6-7 km from the city. The deforestation where USTM University is located is self-explanatory. But my concern is not just the area near USTM. Below is a time-lapse video of the destruction in other regions of the Greater Jorabat Hills in Meghalaya. It also explains how a cloudburst here leads to rapid floods in Guwahati, like the one recently. We will work with Meghalaya government to protect our shared habitats,” he posted on X.
This is not the first time the Assam Chief Minister has used the term ‘jihad’.
In June, he used the term ‘fertiliser jihad’ to show his disapproval on the excessive use of fertilisers by alleged Muslim farmers. He then made an announcement for an event for the development of natural farming in Guwahati.
“We have conveyed our resolve to fight against ‘fertiliser jihad’ during our election campaign. We should use fertiliser but excess of it can harm the body,” he said.
MEGHALAYA UNIVERSITY RESPONDS TO HEMANTA’S ‘JIHAD’ JIBE
The university has responded to the attacks by Himanta Biswa Sarma.
It said it undertook the construction work on its campus with the permission of the Meghalaya government.
“USTM is a NAAC ‘A’ accredited University… and is a recognised Green Campus, which is one of the priorities of NAAC being a body of the Ministry of Education,” the University said in a statement.
The statement said that the USTM campus area was a small part of the Baridua area till Jorabat, and it was taking up afforestation to enhance green cover by increasing the number of trees planted. The university said it has five large natural reservoirs where water is stored.
“USTM campus contributes maybe a minuscule portion of the total water that flows down the Kiling Road through the various drains to the G S Road on both sides of the road,” the universtiy added in its statement.
Guwahati has been witnessing waterlogging with big portions of the city getting submerged since at least 15 years. Residents blame the construction work and poor drainage for the woes.
This year, the flooding in Guwahati has been much worse.
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FLOODS IN ASSAM?
Though Assam struggles annually with floods in the monsoon, this year has been particularly bad.
A ground report by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)’s knowledge sharing platform Prevention Web, has stated that over 2.5 million people across 30 districts have been affected in the Assam floods this year.
The Brahmaputra River, originating from the Tibetan plateau, carves its way through Arunachal Pradesh and Assam before flowing into the Bay of Bengal. In this journey, it is fed by significant tributaries from neighboring states and countries. This river system is important for the region’s ecology and economy, yet it makes Assam vulnerable to annual flooding due to its unpredictable nature.
This has been worsened by human intervention, which includes embankments, encroachments and deforestation. Mushrooming settlements across the state has made matters worse.
According to the Rashtriya Barh Ayog, almost 40% of Assam’s land is flood-sensitive, four times the national average.
According to the ASDMA, major floods have occurred in Assam in 1972, 1974, 1978, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2004, and 2012. Since then, there have been annual flash floods and submersions in 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2024.
INCREASE IN FLOOD-HIT AREA AND ECONOMIC DAMAGE IN ASSAM
Data shows there has been a rise in annual flooded areas and affected cropland from the 1950s to the 2000s. The economic damage has increased 120-fold.
Since the 1950s, Assam has constructed 423 embankments along the Brahmaputra River and its tributaries. However, 295 of these embankments have exceeded their intended lifespan, leading to repeated damage and destruction.
“Deforestation drives soil erosion, as trees and their roots play a crucial role in holding the soil and providing shelter from wind and rain. When forests are destroyed, the land is left unprotected and exposed to the weather, making it susceptible to being washed or blown away,” retired professor Abani Kumar Bhagabati of Gauhati University told the disaster reduction platform.
Rising global temperatures have made the monsoon more intense, which impacts Assam poorly. Deforestation in the Eastern Himalayas has further reduced the water absorption capacity and increased soil erosion and floods in Assam.
“Sedimentation has raised riverbeds, causing rainfall to overflow riverbanks… Old, poorly maintained embankments meant to protect flood-prone areas lead to frequent breaches and worsen nearby flooding,” said Dr Arup Kumar Sarma to Prevention Web.
“The loss of wetlands as natural flood barriers has reduced the landscape’s ability to mitigate floods. Haphazard construction in floodplains and encroachment of river channels have obstructed natural drainage, worsening urban flooding.”
Amid these issues faced by the state comes the fresh issue of blaming the university in neighbouring Meghalaya for cutting down the hills and allowing water to flow towards Guwahati.
