The first heavy spells of rain exposed the glaring gaps in Lucknow Municipal Corporation’s (LMC’s) pre-monsoon preparations.
Despite officials’ assurances of monsoon readiness, people in several key areas of the city woke up on Friday to waterlogged roads and streets, bringing the effectiveness of weeks-long desilting works under scrutiny.
Qaiserbagh, Gomti Nagar Extension Sector 4, Shaheed Path, Jankipuram Extension, and Arjunganj were among the worst hit. Ironically, Qaiserbagh, where the Smart City office is located, was among the first areas to report waterlogging. Residential blocks and VIP zones also witnessed rain flooding, forcing people to wade through murky waters while commuting.
“Open waste dumping was one of the reasons that choked the cleaned drains. With rain, the garbage started flowing into the drains along with rainwater,” said Prem Prakash Shukla, who lives in Jankipuram Extension. Several people said waterlogging in their streets lasted for several hours after the downpour. While some acknowledged minor improvement compared to previous years, most maintained that the core problem of choked drains and poor planning remained unaddressed.
A senior LMC official admitted the lacunae in the civic body’s preparations for the rains. “Despite LMC’s claims of thorough drain cleaning across the city, Thursday night’s rain narrated a different story.”
LMC chief engineer (Electrical and Mechanical) Manoj Prabhat said all major drains in the city had been desilted before the monsoon. “We cleaned seven major drains, including Haider Canal, Qila Mohammadi, Husariya, Sarkata, Pata, Sagra, and Didoli. Haider Canal, which stretches over 20 km from Shakuntala Mishra University to 1090 Chauraha, is the biggest,” he said. Prabhat added that all major drains, totalling 68 km in length, were cleaned by June 13, including those in densely populated areas like Vikas Nagar and Tedhi Puliya.
Meanwhile, LMC chief engineer (Civil) Mahesh Verma said all 335 medium-sized drains in the city had also been cleaned. “If any area still faces waterlogging, we will investigate and take prompt action,” he stated.
However, residents and public representatives voiced strong disagreement. Roop Kumar Sharma, a resident of Gomti Nagar’s Vivek Khand, said, “I’ve been complaining about blocked small drains for months. After last night’s rain, water took hours to clear.”
Commuter Apoorv Bhargava, “When I was commuting from Shaheed Path towards the airport at around 10 pm, the whole stretch was filled with rainwater.”
Aliganj ward corporator Prithvi Gupta criticised the civic body, alleging that no real cleaning was done in his area. “I had to spend from my own pockets to clean a few drains because residents were suffering. If LMC’s claims are true, why does flooding happen every time it rains?” he asked.
Meanwhile, municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar appealed to residents to immediately report any waterlogging complaints via official channels. “Public safety is our top priority. Residents must register complaints on the official helpline numbers rather than posting images on social media. This will help us respond more effectively,” he said.
LMC has issued the following numbers for monsoon-related complaints: Toll-free: 1533, Mobile: 9219902911, 9219902912, 9219902913, 9219902914.