MC House must ensure timely cleaning of drains

Absence of advance planning and faulty design of the roads and streets are among the major factors responsible for the problem of water accumulation, say residents

Jaswant Shetra

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, February 19

The problem of accumulation of water in residential areas and markets is one of the major issues being faced by the residents of Ludhiana during the rainy season.

The problem has been persisting for a long time now. Majority of the areas falling under the jurisdiction of the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation continue to face the problem during the rainy season every year. Despite repeated demands made by residents, the civic body has failed to find a solution to check waterlogging.

Areas worse hit

The areas which continue to face the problem include Old GT Road, Gill Road, Model Town, Ghumar Mandi, Transport Nagar, Rani Jhansi Road, Samrala Chowk, railway station, Dholewal, near BRS Nagar, near Preet Palace, some parts of Sarabha Nagar and Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar.

In some of the areas mentioned above, the situation is so grave that the accumulated water does not drain out even after 2-3 days.

According to residents, unclean drains, insufficient drainage pipes, absence of advance planning and faulty design of the roads and streets are the major factors responsible for the problem. “The pipes meant to drain out the rainwater are not sufficient and most of the drains are not cleaned due to which they get chocked. Besides this, lack of advance planning by the authorities concerned is another reason behind the accumulation of water,” says Gurvinder Singh, a resident.

Factors responsible

Residents said lack of storm water drainage system, absence of rainwater harvesting in buildings, faulty design of the roads and inability of the civic body authorities to get the drains cleaned in time are reasons behind the problem. “There is no rainwater harvesting system in most of the buildings of Ludhiana. In fact, a majority of the government offices are without rainwater harvesting system. If the rainwater is harvested, the problem of water accumulation can be prevented to a certain extent. Moreover, the administration has failed to lay separate sewerage line for rainwater in a major part of the city. This project has been in papers for a while and but it needs to be completed soon,” stated Rahul Verma, a social activist.

The residents say the civic body authorities shall ensure cleanliness in open drains such as Buddha Nullah, Ganda Nullah, Shivaji Nagar before the monsoon to avoid waterlogging during the rainy season. Residents living in the localities situated near Buddha Nullah and Ganda Nullah claim that the drains are full of filth and wild growth which blocks the flow of water. Residents lament the Municipal Corporation authorities do not get the drains cleaned properly.

“The authorities seem to have learned no lesson from the past years when several areas of the city were flooded with rain water during the rainy season. The drains are still full of filth and wild growth which would block the flow of water. Ideally, the authorities should have started the cleaning work now, but no effort is being made in this direction,” lamented Arun Sharma, a resident of Salem Tabri area.

Official says

MC Commissioner Jaskiran Singh

MC Commissioner Jaskiran Singh says the civic body has already started efforts to clean the drains before the start of the rainy season. “The process to clean Buddha Nullah and Ganda Nullah is already underway. We have laid new sewerage lines in several parts of the city and we are quite hopeful that the initiatives undertaken by us will help in preventing the problem of water accumulation during the rainy season,” he said.

Quotes

Jhalmal Singh, a school principal

I have been a witness to the problem of water accumulation in Ludhiana for the past several years. Faulty design, lack of advance planning, delay in cleaning the drains and insufficient drainage system are some of the reasons responsible for the problem. The civic body authorities have made only a little improvement in this regard. The administration should plan much in advance to cope with the worsening situation. The general public should also take up the responsibility.

Jaspal Singh Chawla, a shopkeeper

As far as the problem of water accumulation is concerned, there has hardly been any improvement over the past few years. There are several parts of the city which are inundated whenever it rains. The authorities concerned have failed to match the pace at which the city has been growing and its population increasing. It is time to take some strict decisions. New laws should be introduced and the administration shall impose them in a strict manner to improve the situation.

Rahul Verma, a social activist

There is no rainwater harvesting system in most of the buildings in the city and even the government offices are without rainwater harvesting system. Around ten year ago, there was a proposal to lay separate sewerage line for rainwater, but this project is still in files.