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Rain fury unleashes problems aplenty as Lucknow commuters have it worst
While instances of traffic congestion were common, many citizens found it difficult even to step out of their houses
After two days of rain with varying intensity, the state capital was gripped by a clutch of issues that left citizens reeling under the effects of water-logging, road safety and health hazards. While instances of traffic congestion were common, many citizens found it difficult even to step out of their houses.
Water, water everywhere
Starting from Regency Road in Vibhuti Khand all the way to Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, pedestrians had to wade through water of varying depths. Several parts of Gomti Nagar extension faced similar conditions, with the road facing the Food Corporation of India offices flooded with dirty water on account of construction material left there. “It does not take torrential rain for this road to get flooded,” said a domestic worker who works at Omaxe Heights on Regency Road. “If it is a light shower, half the road is flooded as the drains start overflowing immediately, and if there is heavy rainfall, you will not be able to see the road at all.”
Posh areas like Gomti Nagar’s Nehru Enclave too were submerged on Wednesday. “Garbage dumped in the area mixes with rainwater and stinks and even becomes breeding ground for mosquitoes,” said Anju Varshney, a resident of Nehru Enclave.
Similarly, the entire Hussainabad area of Old City, near the Clock Tower was submerged, making it difficult for vehicles to commute. The slums near the Laxman Mela Grounds as well as those lining Butler Road had muddy rainwater flowing down to the doorways and into some houses as well.
Dangerous (unseen) potholes
The situation of both the service lanes of the Ring Road from Munshipulia to Khurram Nagar – as it is dotted by potholes – worsened with the rainwater covering them, making them a driver’s nightmare. The broken road due to the under-construction flyover in the area has made the entire stretch an accident-prone zone.
“I have stopped taking this route as the road has turned into a pothole ground. Sadly, traffic is not stopped, and it remains inaccessible most of the time,” said Manoj Semwal, a resident of Vikas Nagar.
Similarly, the state of the road near Matiyari crossing is such that traffic all but stops here, and the situation worsens during peak hours. “This road has been damaged for months, and the rain has only made the potholes worse. The traffic doesn’t move due to the damaged road,” said a shopkeeper.
Potholes on Regency Road, which have again reappeared after being temporarily levelled a few months ago, are again making the water-logged road a hazard for drivers in the rain.
Crawling traffic
With less than an hour of heavy rainfall on Wednesday, major traffic conduits like the Polytechnic Crossing and Parivartan Chowk were severely congested with frayed nerves and bumper-to-bumper traffic being witnessed. Worsening the situation were two-wheelers parked haphazardly on either side of the road, narrowing the commutable road to a thin strip.
Most roads leading off Mahatma Gandhi Marg, away from KD Singh Babu Metro Station, also experienced traffic jams, as the afternoon rush in that area includes schoolkids as well as office-goers.
