Residents blame covered drains for waterlogging Patiala, July 14 Incessant rain brought only partial respite to city residents who had to battle and wade through overflowing streets and roads today. While officials of Municipal Corporation (MC) blamed covering of drains outside houses by city residents for the issue singlehandedly, the condition of areas around ‘Chota’ and ‘Wadda’ nullah state the story in contrast. Rain accompanied by storms that had started early morning and continued till afternoon. The Meteorological Department recorded the rainfall at 47 mm with wind velocity of 6 km per hour throughout the day while temperature in the city, meanwhile dropped to a maximum of 26.2 degree Celsius and minimum of 23.6 degree Celsius. The region has seen over 200 mm total rainfall in the monsoon season already. Rain water filled the streets in various areas due to lack of clearance through drain pipes. Areas of Model Town, city bus stand, Dhobi Ghat, Sewak Colony, Lehal, Punjabi Bagh, Nabha Gate, Lahori Gate had waterlogged streets. A tree adjacent to a government quarter in Grid Colony near the railway station was uprooted and fell on a wall though no one was hurt in the incident. City residents expressed their ire over the accumulated water outside their home. Keshav, a shopkeeper retorted, “Rain water gets collected in our streets every year. While residents blame inability of administration to keep the drains clean, ignorant attitude of both is the basic issue here. The area around wadda nullah remains waterlogged. The sewerage water flows out on the road and accumulates there for days.” Another resident added, “The administration banned the use of plastic polythene bags but the directions have only remained on paper. All shopkeepers are providing the plastic polythene bags which are then thrown in dustbins and also end up in drains, and render them blocked.” Rustam, another resident said, “This time, we had respite from huge garbage dumps flowing into the drains due to installation of smart semi underground waste collection bins. But the process still needs to be implemented seriously to eliminate even minor dumping that blocks the drains.” Officials in the MC said people should remove concrete construction over drains outside their houses. “This construction prevents proper cleaning of the drains. Water in the remaining areas is being cleared after some time,” added an official.

Stay updated with all the Chandigarh Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.