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Morning rain spell inundates Lucknow; power outages, slow traffic throw life out of gear
Heavy rain in Lucknow caused flooding in several areas, including posh localities, leading to traffic congestion for officegoers and school students. The worst affected areas were those where Smart City works are ongoing. The situation was so severe that even roads near the chief minister's residence were inundated. The problem of waterlogging in front of the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Hospital has persisted for over 10 years. The municipal commissioner claims that the water was cleared within one hour, which is faster than other cities with good stormwater drainage systems.
LUCKNOW The brief rain spell on Wednesday morning left several areas -- including some posh localities -- of the city marooned. As a consequence, officegoers and school students faced a hard time navigating traffic.
The areas where Smart City works are ongoing were the worst hit. The rain spell submerged roads at Hussainganj, Balu Adda, Gomti Nagar Station, Krishi Bhawan, Madhyanchal Power Headquarters, Alam Bagh Mawaiya City Station, Government Post Office in Aminabad, Ashiana, LDA colony Kanpur Road, Vidhan Bhavan, Bapu Bhawan, Jalkal Office, Park Road, and Gokhale Marg, among others.
Roads were inundated just 500 metres away from the chief minister’s residence as well. Similarly, there was a flood-like situation in front of the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee (Civil) Hospital. Here, the problem of waterlogging has persisted for over 10 years, say area residents.
In view of the situation, DM Lucknow has issued a press release saying, “If you are taking the Sitapur or Kanpur highway, avoid stopping under trees or tin sheds during rains. Keep away from under-construction structures. Those living in the cis-Gomti area Hazratganj, Daliganj Faizullaganj in Trans Gomti should remain cautious.”
Meanwhile, areas like Indira Nagar Sector-15, Ismailganj, Ram Nagar, Chitrgupta Nagar, and Thakurganj reported prolonged power outages and voltage fluctuations after the rain spell.
When queried, municipal commissioner Inderjeet Singh said, “Water was cleared from all the places within one hour. In contrast, cities with even the best stormwater drainage system take an hour or two to drain out rainwater.”
