Taking cue from last year’s waterlogging during the monsoon months, the municipal corporation of Ghaziabad has started cleaning and desilting drains about a month earlier than usual this year, but a major project to prevent flooding in city’s residential colonies has been put on hold due to prevalence of the model code of conduct (MCC), municipal officials said.
Every monsoon, waterlogging occurs on roads due to silt that has been removed from drains but is left on the side and returns to the drain during rainy seasons, according to locals.
Before the model code was implemented, according to officials, the work was already tendered out, and 109 main drains, 335 medium drains, and roughly 635 small drains are presently being cleaned.
“This job, which is expected to cost between ₹3 and 4 crore, has already been put out to tender. In order to minimize waterlogging in the surrounding residential areas, we have also purchased a large poclain machine for cleaning the Brij Vihar drain in Trans-Hindon. This equipment will be used year-round for drain cleaning. By June 15th, we hope to have completed these renovations,” corporate health officer Mithilesh Kumar stated.
Senior company representatives stated that because the model code had been notified, their significant project to stop floods could not move further with the tendering process.
The project, according to the officials, aims to strengthen and reconstruct the ancient drain that travels towards the Shahberi culvert via the ABES crossing, the South-Side GT Road industrial region, and Bulandshahr Road industrial area. Authorities indicated that Noida lies deeper down this sewer.
Residents in Kavi Nagar, Rajapur, Mehrauli, Vivekanand Nagar, Pandav Nagar, NDRF Road, Bamheta, Shastri Nagar, and Crossings Republik township, among others, were expected to benefit from the project to avert flooding, according to officials.
These projects won’t wait to be started until after the June 4 Lok Sabha vote tallying.
The locals claimed that Ghaziabad has waterlogging every year during the monsoon.
Roads become flooded during every monsoon. When silt is removed from drains, it is not lifted promptly and remains on the drain’s side. This silt finds its way back into the drain with every rainstorm. According to Raj Nagar Extension resident Vikrant Sharma, “the corporation frequently has to resort to emergency measures which remain insufficient to prevent waterlogging.”