Noida to clean drains by July 15 as city gets waterlogged

NOIDA: The Noida authority on Thursday said it has set a July 15 deadline to complete the cleaning of all drains as the monsoon sets in and an incessant rain since Tuesday has battered the city, leaving different parts waterlogged

NOIDA: The Noida authority on Thursday said it has set a July 15 deadline to complete the cleaning of all drains as the monsoon sets in and an incessant rain since Tuesday has battered the city, leaving different parts waterlogged.

Officials said the severely affected areas due to water-logging include the sector road of Noida Expressway, underpasses, and DSC Road near GIP Mall - parallel to new street market. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

The move followed commuters facing a harrowing time on many key city roads due to waterlogging and road cave-in cases, said officials, adding that a dedicated helpline - 0120-2423795—has also been launched to report waterlogging complaints.

Officials said the severely affected areas due to water-logging include the sector road of Noida Expressway, underpasses, and DSC Road near GIP Mall - parallel to new street market.

On Thursday, key underpasses including sectors 168, 142, 145 and the ARTO office in Sector 33 were also flooded with stormwater, and the transport department’s functioning was halted.

Local residents also complained of traffic near Gaur City. Traffic was also disrupted after a truck broke down on the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway near the Chilla border.

SP Singh, general manager, Noida authority, said contractors have been engaged to clean drains across the city. “All key drains have already been cleaned, while the remaining work will be completed by July 15. We will address issues properly,” said Singh.

Officials said though draining cleaning has been completed in Sectors 40, 62, 63, 64, 71, 127, 126, 133, Phase 2 and other areas, fresh tenders have been issued for drain-cleaning work in Sectors 105, 122, 128 and the Hosiery Complex among other locations.

RP Singh, general manager in charge of the Jal department, said the Authority has identified low-lying stretches and underpasses vulnerable to waterlogging. “Motor pumps have already been installed and staff deployed at critical locations, including the underpasses at Sector 37, Sector 18, Sector 71, Rajnigandha Chowk, and Dalit Prerna Sthal. During heavy rainfall, temporary waterlogging does occur, but the accumulated stormwater is pumped into drains and eventually discharged into the Yamuna,” he said.

Noida Authority has also operationalised a 24x7 call centre to handle waterlogging complaints.

Call centre staff said around 20 complaints were received on Thursday from different parts of the city. “Residents from Sectors 12, 22 and 27, besides Barola and Sarfabad, reported waterlogging. The complaints have been forwarded to the respective work circles for immediate action,” an official said.

Residents, however, said the Authority failed to begin drain-cleaning work before the onset of the monsoon despite repeated requests. KK Jain, president of Sector 34 RWA, said the city faces waterlogging every monsoon because desilting is delayed. “We repeatedly urged the Authority to clean the drains before the rains. However, as the drain was not cleaned, the sector faced heavy waterlogging on Thursday,” said Tikam Singh a resident of sector 168.

Ankit Singh a resident of sector 135 who works in MNC got his car stuck in badly in sector road in sector 168 when he was trying to enter underpass next to sector 137, where his office is located.

“As I was trying to enter the underpass around 10am to reach my office from sector 168 towards sector 137 the road caved in making a hole. My card tyre got busted and I had to call friends and family to tow away my car. There are road caved in at so many spots and a motorbike driver can lose life of fell into these pits. The road caved in because the Noida authority has not built the road properly,” said Singh.

On Thursday, Noida MLA Pankaj Singh also reviewed the situation in a meeting with Noida authority officials and directed them to complete drain cleaning on priority.