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Downpour exposes Lucknow’s waterlogging preparedness
Lucknow faces waterlogging issues post heavy rainfall. Residents blame authorities for neglect. Video shows leaks at railway stations. Other areas like Kalyanpur and Ashiana also affected.
As Lucknow and its surrounding areas experienced moderate to heavy rainfall since the early hours of Sunday, the problem of waterlogging resurfaced in multiple parts of the city. The tall claims of local authorities, who recently carried out a 72-hour-long cleaning drive to free nullahs in the state capital, stood exposed.
Waterlogged Charbagh
The approach road to the Charbagh railway station remained under water due to the rain. Passengers heading in or coming out of the station struggled to cross the stretch. Gaurav, an engineer who arrived in Lucknow on Sunday, said waterlogging had been a problem for the area for years now and local authorities had never bothered to address it. Meanwhile, a video of water leaking from the roof of a platform at Badshahnagar railway station has also surfaced.
Houses under water at Kalyanpur
At Kalyanpur, a little rain floods the streets. On Sunday too, residents woke up to flooded streets and drains. They accused the authorities of being careless and callous to their issues. In another lane of the area, rainwater breached into people’s houses. Stating that waterlogging had become a major issue in the beginning of monsoon, residents said the local authorities were yet to offer a permanent solution to the problem.
Drain no help at New Defence Colony
Waterlogging in New Defence Colony, situated alongside Shaheed Path, has become a regular feature in the last three-four years. Flooded lanes after Sunday’s rain have given residents more reasons to be concerned about the plight of their locality in August and September. The construction of a new drain alongside the colony didn’t resolve the problem as it was yet to be connected to the main drain. Several people are mulling to migrate out of the colony as water enters their houses every rainy season. “We have lodged complaints regarding the matter with the authorities concerned but found no solution. Children are not able to go to schools as school vans and rickshaws cannot enter the colony due to waterlogging,” said Varsha Singh, a homemaker who lives there with her two children, husband and in-laws. “Authorities are waiting for some tragedy to happen by not solving the issue.”
Ashiana’s woes
Ashiana grapples with waterlogging every rainy season. Here, people have blocked the drains outside their houses by building illegal ramps on them. Authorities turn a blind eye towards these encroachments, which choke the drains and lead to waterlogging on the roads.
LMC workers cleaned the drains a few days ago but left the silt on the side of the road.
“When it rained, the silt flowed back into the drains choking them. Only when authorities take action against illegal constructions can Ashiyana be free from rain-related problems,” said Jatinn Khannaa, a college student.
Gudamba battles muck
At Kanchan Nagar II Bahadurpur Colony near the British farmhouse in Gudamba (see photos), residents claimed that the area had an illegal buffalo stable from where cattle dung spills into the streets. It was a scene good enough to invite diseases. Many complaints were written to the municipal officials, but to no avail. Residents said their objections were met with threats and abuses from the workers of the stable.
Why Faizullganj fears monsoon
The low-lying area of Faizullaganj fears monsoon for it floods its streets every season. “Every year, Faizullganj residents must deal with waterlogging. People are forced to stay indoors as there is no way one can step out. The rainwater stinks as drains are choked. This further turns into breeding zones for mosquitoes and a home to insects and snakes,” said Mamta Tripathi, a resident and social activist of the area.
At 1090 Crossing and Jiamau
A boundary wall at 1090 Crossing may collapse any time because of rain. Likewise, a nullah near Jiamau requires immediate attention.
Lucknow-Sultanpur highway
After Sunday’s rain, the Lucknow-Sultanpur highway turned into a swimming pool of sorts that stretched over some kilometres. The stretch near the police headquarters on Shaheed Path was also massively waterlogged.
Chinhat inundated
Waterlogging haunted the streets of Chinhat too. The area near the highway, which connects the Faizabad Road to Ayodhya, remained inundated. A private school in the locality remained partially submerged in water.
