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Lucknow battles waterlogging after night of unceasing rains
The downpour uprooted trees in some parts, including on Lucknow University’s second campus on Sitapur Road
Hours of incessant rains took a heavy toll on traffic as several areas of Lucknow remained under water on Friday.
The downpour uprooted trees in some parts, including at Lucknow University’s second campus on Sitapur Road. A boundary wall of the campus suffered damages in one such incident, a student said.
“In the morning, I was confined to my house due to waterlogging after the heavy rains. I could not leave my house to see my patients on time. My patients had to wait for hours to be attended to,” said Dr Girish Gupta, a renowned homeopathy practitioner who lives in Jankipuram Sector F.
The situation was no better in Qaiserbagh and commercial hub Aminabad. Most of the roads in Aminabad developed potholes. In Qaiserbagh, narrow lanes and by-lanes were waterlogged.
Water enters houses
Houses in the low-lying areas of Faizullahganj, Aliganj, Jankipuram, Mahanagar and Aashiana remained submerged in rainwater. The residents said helplines remained mostly unresponsive. Some who had connections with civic officials managed to arrange motorised pumps and get the water flushed out of their localities. Several claimed that all the rain-related arrangements of the municipal corporation have failed.
Ashiyana residents lamented that waterlogging has become a usual affair for them, and the rains brought less delight and more woes for them. “Wading through knee-deep water, no matter whatever road one takes, has been extremely difficult since the morning. It’s a relief that schools have been closed but professionals like us need to be at work. It was no less than a nightmare driving through the roads. Every year tall claims are made about sewage cleaning. But these claims fail to stand true when monsoon arrives,” said Sonal Khanna, a working professional and resident of Sector K, Ashiyana.
Damages due to rain
An under-construction commercial railway building near Gomti Nagar Railway Station saw some damage after last night’s rains. A heap of mud near the property slid onto the road in the middle of the night. Some of the staff were on site but nobody was hurt.
One of the engineers at the site said this railway project is worth `360 crore, and all of the construction, including the metal sheets set up as a boundary wall, was fully intact. The portion being reconstructed has been cordoned off. The Gomti Nagar railway station neither sustained any damage nor has the train schedule been affected due to the rains, said the railway police at the station.
The main road parallel to and behind the Gomti Nagar Railway Station, on the Vibhuti Khand side, was waterlogged to the extent that the traffic had to be restricted to only one side of the stretch. Pedestrians were forced to walk around the water, which resulted in them having to walk along the main street that sees constant traffic. The slum in the disputed area of Vibhuti Khand turned marshy, with mosquitoes festering in the large puddles that formed dangerously close to the shacks where people reside.
Schools closed; varsity exam cancelled
To save schoolgoers from inconveniences, the district administration ordered for the closure of schools in the wee hours of Friday. Messages were shared in the WhatsApp groups of school principals who were asked to relay them to parents.
Lucknow University postponed the semester examination scheduled for Friday morning and afternoon, to September 28 at the pre-determined time and examination centers. The rest of the schedule will remain the same.
Internet connectivity hit
Broadband connectivity was a big problem as in many areas that remained without internet connection for hours. At Jankpuram and Gomti Nagar, residents struggled with internet connection the night after rains.
