Swachh Survekshan 2024-25: Rain takes away sheen of Lucknow's third rank, exposes reality
Despite securing the third spot among the cleanest cities in the million-plus population category on July 17, the city failed to stand the test of heavy rainfall with roads and residential blocks getting water-logged.
Functioning of drains in residential or residential cum commercial pockets areas of the state capital have a direct connection with the cleanliness ranking in the Swachh Survekshan.
LMC officials explained that cleaning of drains plays a crucial role in improving the city's rank in the state capital under the Swachh Survekshan. He added that such facilities are an integral part of the survey parameters, which include several components evaluated from door-to-door waste collection, road sweeping, drain cleaning, nullah cleaning and tapping of major drains during the survey. Each category consists of 100 marks.
Saturday's showers left major residential and commercial areas submerged, particularly in, including Vibhuti Khand, Viram Khand, Vinamra Khand, and Gomti Nagar Extension.
Flooded roads, stalled two wheelers and four wheeler vehicles, and overflowing drains were reported across Gomti Nagar and trans-Gomti regions, turning the daily commute into a nightmare. Commuters were forced to abandon vehicles mid-route while pedestrians waded through waterlogged streets.
Shortly after the rain started, at around 4pm, traffic coming from Munshipulia towards Panigaon was disrupted as knee-deep water filled roads and made it difficult for people to move.
Heavy water-logging was witnessed on the road leading from Urdu Academy towards Mantri Awas in Vibhuti Khand. At some points water-logging even caused car breakdowns. Traffic was also disrupted after water-logging was seen in front of Lohia Institute in Gomti Nagar.
The situation raised questions about the ₹15 crore allocated by the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) for drain cleaning this year. Despite repeated claims of having desilted major drains before monsoon, Saturday's rain revealed poor execution on the ground level by the civic authorities across various areas of the city.
Several basements were flooded, and vehicles parked on roadsides were either submerged or damaged. Nullahs and drains overflowed in multiple areas, causing inconvenience to thousands of residents.
Municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar, who earlier declared water-logging as a priority issue after taking charge, now faces criticism for the civic body's failure to deliver on its commitments.
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