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Updated At: Jul 04, 2022 08:39 AM (IST)
Commuters have a hard time wading through a flooded Lamba Pind Chowk after rain in Jalandhar. Photo: Sarabjit Singh
Enhance budget to tackle problem
Come rainy season, almost all towns and cities across the state are flooded, causing great inconvenience to residents who are often caught unawares. It exposes the Municipal Corporations’ repeated claims about their preparedness. Urban flooding is a challenging public issue that needs greater scrutiny and long-term planning. Local governing authorities should conserve city’s blue and green cover and ensure the holistic growth of cities; store flood water for urban use; revamp the old and overwhelmed sewer and drainage systems; and give timely warning to people to prepare for the severity of monsoon events. The government should enhance budgetary allocation to the cash-strapped MCs for upgrading infrastructural facilities and break the unholy nexus between politics, land mafia and organised crime that wreaks havoc on the city’s eco-balance. The higher authorities should take strict action against the egregiously corrupt and non-performing municipal officials, commissioners and contractors.
Simran & Tajpreet S Kang
Pollution caused by plastic harms health, wildlife and environment The Central and state governments on July 1 banned the use of single-use plastic items. What are the alternatives to end our dependence on single-use plastic? Also, are the authorities doing enough to implement the ban?
Suggestions in not more than 200 words can be sent to jalandhardesk@tribunemail.com by Thursday (July 7)
Impose fine, make citizens responsible
It’s not for the first time that the city is facing the waterlogging problem. To deal with the problem resolutely and relieve people of the misery caused by rain, the MC should pull up its socks and take quick action. First and foremost, proper maintenance and renovation of the drainage system must be ensured so that the rainwater can drain out easily and do not get accumulated on roads or streets. Citizens, too, should ensure that garbage and other waste materials are not thrown in the drain surrounding their houses, which leads to blockage and ultimately waterlogging. In Canada, individuals are instructed to clean passages as well as the area around their houses in case of snowfall. If they don’t do it, they are fined. The MC can also think on these lines to encourage people to keep drains around their homes neat and clean. In addition, most roads get damaged due to heavy traffic. Pits are formed and water gets accumulated in them, resulting in accidents, especially during rains. The MC should also ensure roads and streets are re-carpeted after every five years.
Ensure periodic cleaning of drains
Waterlogging problem during rainy season warrants serious attention of those who are at the helm of local governance. This is needed not only for keeping the city clean, but also for ensuring public health at large. Unfortunately, apathy shown by authorities is only aggravating the problem every season. The two primary reasons for waterlogging are the absence of separate drainage for rainwater and no periodic cleaning of pipes earmarked for the storm water. Also, there is no plan and arrangements for low-lying areas to drain out the rainwater. The rainwater drainage involves capital expenditure and proper planning and execution over the period. Before the onset of rainy season, the authorities always claim to have cleaned drains, but one good rain exposes them. Therefore, such claims need to be verified both from the vigilance and administrative angle. Above all, general waste disposal system needs to be strengthened to ensure no garbage of any kind block the drainage system.
PWD, civic officials must work in tandem
The foremost duty of the administration is to take necessary safeguards to avoid inconvenience to public. Despite tall claims by officials to have made necessary arrangements for the rainy season, all assertions proved hollow as the streets and roads were clogged with mud and filth during recent pre-monsoon showers. As a result of tardy arrangements and lack of timely maintenance, often rainwater accumulates at places where deep pits and cracks appear, causing inconvenience to people. Whenever lackadaisical approach and negligence in quality of construction comes to light, contractors and officials responsible must be held accountable and punished. Advance planning and timely action by the municipal corporation can be of big help in saving precious lives from rain-related accidents every year. PWD officials and the MC should coordinate to maintain cleanliness and ensure regular upkeep of roads and drainage channels well before the monsoons. Sanitation officials must arrange periodic defogging in the localities to prevent breeding of larvae, maintenance staff should monitor the vulnerable spots and repair the damaged stretch of city roads or streets to avoid waterlogging.
Green cover can help end waterlogging
The Municipal Corporation’s ill-preparedness for the monsoon can be seen every year and this year is also no different from the past. Sewer pipelines are choked with plastic waste and lack of drainage results in flood-like situation in low-lying areas. Roads are riddled with potholes and commuters often get injured negotiating them. It takes hours for the rainwater to recede and make it impossible for the pedestrians to walk. To tackle the problem, first and foremost more plants should be grown in and around the city. Manholes should be covered tightly so that garbage doesn’t choke the sewage lines. Drainage lines should be cleaned and potholes filled before the monsoon. We, the citizens, should also play our role and throw garbage in bins only.
Focus on draining out rainwater
Pre-monsoon rain recently inundated the city. This story repeats itself every season. Kapurthala Chowk near Adarsh Nagar, Domoria bridge, Dhan Mohalla and many other parts of the city bear the brunt of the rain every rainy season. Corporation officials, though are aware of the problems, prefer to turn a blind eye to all this. The MC has to be sincere and work earnestly to tackle the problem of waterlogging to save the citizens from this yearly malaise. The underground pipes should be wide and laid in the squares to get the rainwater drained as soon as it collects during the rainy season. Like in Europe and the US, plastic containers should be put in front of homes or in the squares where people can put their wastes like bottles, papers in separate containers. Civic body personnel can collect them weekly in different areas. Otherwise such waste materials block the drain pipes and flood the areas of the city. Both the MC and public should share the responsibility.
Remove faults in sewer lines
Despite a number of proposals and allocation of ample funds for sewerage, waterlogging continues to trouble the city during the monsoon season. This proves that there’s some fault in designing the sewer lines or these are merging with sewage system. In most cities, sewer pipes were laid keeping in mind the population of the city that time, but that has now grown manifold and the existing system fail to clear the rainwater, leading to waterlogging and other problems. The Municipal Corporation in the past engaged sewer pipes clearance machines. These need to be used thoroughout the year to keep the drainage system up and running. Rain harvesting should be encouraged to keep rain water off roads. If there is a will, there is a way. Jalandhar is part of the Smart City project and ample funds are its disposal for development work. It is up to the MC how to use these to end the perennial problem of waterlogging during rains.
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Remembering Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia
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