Waterlogging drowns tall civic claims in Lucknow

Hindustan Times

13 hours ago

Two consecutive days of rainfall exposed the fragile civic infrastructure of the state capital as several areas reportedly witnessed waterlogging and waste scattered across roads, raising concerns about the effectiveness of Lucknow's sanitation management. Waterlogging outside the high court building in Vibhuti Khand, Lucknow. (Deepak Gupta/HT)
Despite bagging the third rank in the million-plus population category under the new ranking system introduced in the Swachhta Survekshan 2024, open dumping of waste continues unchecked in multiple localities. The persistent rain since Sunday morning turned these dumping spots into floating garbage yards, further choking drains and worsening water accumulation.
During the HT re-visit to multiple areas, a stretch on the route from Arjunganj to Sultanpur Road was found waterlogged, causing inconvenience to two-wheeler commuters.
'This is a persistent issue near Kisan Bazaar in Vibhuti Khand. The garbage dumped on the roadside got scattered during the downpour today and now, the entire lane is flooded,' Utkarsh Pandey, a commuter, said.
The situation was no different near the Engineering College flyover on Sitapur Road. 'The roadside here has become a permanent dumping spot. The garbage is now floating in the waterlogged roads,' Nabeel Siddiqui, another commuter, said.
Residents accused the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) of delaying on-ground action and limiting their response to photo inspections.
Complaints are made, but action is either delayed or temporary, said locals.
An LMC official acknowledged the issue, saying garbage scattered across roads plays a major role in choking nullahs, directly leading to waterlogging during rain. 'Unattended waste on roads clogs drainage paths,' the official said.
Emergency ops launched:
LMC officials said that emergency operations were launched across all eight zones as complaints related to waterlogging, choked drains and trees getting uprooted poured in.
Municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar directed zonal officers, teams of sanitation and engineering staff and garden department workers to remain on the ground and act immediately. The teams installed pumping sets in flooded areas and cleared blocked drains to ease water flow, according to a release issued on Sunday.
The municipal corporation's control room remained on high alert, monitoring complaints in real-time. A dedicated team handled civic grievances via the toll-free number 1533, ensuring swift redressal, the release said.
'LMC is fully prepared to deal with any emergency. All field teams are active 24x7,' Kumar said. He urged residents to stay indoors during heavy rain and report local issues immediately to the municipal corporation.