10 days on, knee-deep water keeps Varanasi colonies submerged

The situation in Neelkanthpuram has reached such a pass that residents wrote a sarcastic letter, “thanking” the authorities for their efforts.

For residents of Maruti Nagar and Neelkanthpuram, stepping out of home has become an exercise in wading through water. For nearly 10 days, locals have been waking up to knee-deep waterlogging in their colonies, with submerged lanes making even routine travel a struggle.

A schoolgirl wades through a waterlogged street on her way to school in Varanasi on Monday. (Rajesh Kumar/ HT photo)

Children, elderly people and other residents are forced to wade through stagnant water to reach the road outside, while daily commutes and essential activities have been severely disrupted.

Taking a sarcastic swipe at the civic situation, residents have dubbed the flooded stretches “waterlogging camps”. They say the persistent waterlogging has turned their colonies into virtual pools, with no lasting relief despite the inconvenience caused to residents.

Suresh Yadav, a resident of the locality, said, “Our colony has been waterlogged to knee depth for the past 10 days, causing severe inconvenience to all residents. We have contacted the civic authorities several times, but no action has been taken so far.”

Yadav said officials should visit the colony and see the residents’ plight firsthand to understand the difficulties they are facing.

Meanwhile, additional municipal commissioner Durgesh Mishra said dewatering with suction machines began in Neelkanthpuram Colony on September 5. He said Kandwa locality (Ward 19) lacks adequate sewerage and drainage infrastructure, while there are no nearby ponds or drains where dewatering pumps can be installed. Therefore, the Jal Kal department is using suction machines to drain the rainwater. The operation is currently underway along the main road.

He said suction-machine drainage in Neelkanthpuram Colony would begin Sunday and take around 15 days, after which the affected roads would be restored for traffic. Heavy rain in Susuwahi had also caused a drain to overflow, with pumping machines being used to clear the accumulated water.

Persistent rainfall has caused waterlogging in several low-lying areas of the city. The Varanasi Municipal Corporation said it is taking measures to provide relief to residents and improve the drainage system.

Municipal commissioner Himanshu Nagpal inspected waterlogged areas on Sunday and found that rain-borne waste and plastic were clogging drain and sewer openings, obstructing water flow. He directed officials to conduct special cleaning drives, including at night, to clear the debris immediately. He stressed that no obstruction to drainage would be tolerated and directed officials to ensure prompt relief from waterlogging.

Nagpal inspected Vivekanandpuram, Giri Nagar and Saket Nagar colonies to review drainage arrangements. After observing waterlogging in Giri Nagar, he directed the Water Works Department to clean the drain that night and the VNN Health Department to ensure thorough drain cleaning for faster water discharge.