Waterlogged Ghaziabad exposes preparedness of civic agency

The officials of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said that the waterlogging near Mehrauli is due to non-development of local drainage system which need to be developed by Ghaziabad agencies

A couple of hours of heavy downpour on early Thursday morning exposed the preparedness of different Ghaziabad agencies as many areas across the city remain submerged in water for hours. The official residence of the municipal commissioner in Raj Nagar also faced similar issue while the commuters on Delhi Meerut Expressway and National Highwy 9 (NH9) also faced water on roads.

Commuters wade through a waterlogged road during monsoon rainfall at Delhi Meerut expressway in Ghaziabad , India. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The residents in different areas complained that heavy waterlogging was witnessed in their localities till Thursday afternoon after which the water subsided.

“The big drains in Shalimar Garden were overflowing while there was stagnant water in our locality. It receded only after 3-4 hours. The solid waste dumps lying alongside the GT Road near UP Border posed unhygienic conditions as the waste got wet in rain. People were unable to avoid the road as it is a major road which links further to Mohan Nagar. The preparedness of the civic agency was not up to the mark and the monsoon season will intensify further,” said Jugal Kishor, resident of Shalimar Garden.

Residents in Indirapauram also faced issues.

“There was water-logging near the Cambridge school and also near areas of Shakti Khand, Shipra Sun City, Niti Khand and others. The situation has worsened as the drains have been covered by ramps and commercial activities have come up largely in residential areas,” said Mohan Sangwan, resident of Indirapuram.

The commuters on the Delhi Meerut Expressway and NH9 also face waterlogging on roads during the peak hours.

“It has become a regular feature here near Mehrauli whenever there is a hevvay downpour. Bigger vehicles can pass easily but two-wheelers face major problem while moving through. The traffic issues also crop up when vehicles pass through in low speed,” said Chandan Singh, a commuter.

Residents in Sahibabad said that large patches on the Saur Urja Marg faced waterlogging.

“The waterlogging remained for hours on the road which is a major road passing through Sahibabad and the industrial area. The area is low-lying and need corrective action,” said Sushil Raghav, Sahibabad resident.

Municipal-commissioner Nitin Gaur said that he has directed his teams to resolve the waterlogging issues and also immediate lifting of garbage from roadsides.

“My official residence also faced watgerlooging but it was for a brief period and the water receeded. We roped in pumps to draw out water at 27 different places across the city and our teams worked for hours to prevent waterlogging. The volume of water due to heavy rain was high. The drains have been de-silted and the leftover silt will be immediately lifted. The silt was not lifted as the solid waste processing facility at Morta was shut. Now, it has been reopened,” Gaur added.

The officials of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said that the waterlogging near Mehrauli is due to non-development of local drainage system which need to be developed by Ghaziabad agencies.

“Our DME has proper drainage outlets and these have been designed as per specification of the Indian Road Congress norms. The water gets drained out within 30 minutes at maximum. The NH9 near Mehrauli is a low-lying area and needs a local drainage system. In its absence, there is waterlogging. As part of our ongoing Delhi-Dehradun highway project, the NHAI is constructing the local drainage iin Loni. In case of DME and NH9, it was to be constructed by local agencies,” said an officer from NHAI.