Clear drains, ban plastic & promote rainwater harvesting

Prevent clogging of drainage system

Preventing waterlogging in urban areas during every monsoon season remains a persistent challenge for city residents and municipal authorities. To tackle the issue, authorities can take certain proactive measures. These may involve maintaining storm water systems by ensuring proper drainage through regular cleaning and repair, dividing the city into manageable zones, and conducting ward-wise inspections of public properties to identify potential hazards, monitor pooling water and promptly address drainage issues. Pre-emptive actions such as clearing clogged gutters, trimming loose branches of mature trees and removing clutter and debris from streets, open areas and around properties can help minimise damage. Banning the manufacturing and public use of plastic bags and bottles can prevent clogging in the drainage system. Encouraging residents to segregate plastic bottles as well as dry and wet waste at home can help prevent health hazards. Using wire mesh covers for road gullies can effectively reduce the problem by allowing only water to enter the drain. To improve the performance of municipal authorities, measures could be taken to discourage political patronage and interference, link job promotion and salaries to work performance, ensure proper supervision and penalise corruption. Urban planning should include mandatory rainwater harvesting and ecological considerations, while discouraging illegal occupation of land near water bodies. Additionally, efforts to desilt, widen, straighten and clear vegetation and debris from rivers, seasonal streams and drainage channels can significantly enhance flood conveyance capacity. Strengthening river embankments by constructing ripraps, dykes, or spurs, as well as planting deep-rooted trees, may also mitigate the impact of waterlogging.

Dr Kulwant Singh Phull

Corruption-free governance needed

The problem of waterlogging during the rainy season will stay with us as long as corruption is not totally eradicated from public administration. The laying of separate storm water pipes as a prerequisite for planning any colony or building any road, street, park, or public institution, along with providing regular maintenance and occasional desilting of such pipes, is as essential as ensuring a regular water supply to the residents. But this is not the case, as this aspect has evolved into a basic source of sustainable corruption for every stakeholder. The rainy season lasts a maximum of about two months and after that, the people generally forget the trauma they have endured. Meanwhile, the bureaucracy responsible for such serious lapses prepares itself for a new season of corruption and minting money. This vicious cycle goes unchecked and unchallenged under the very nose of the government. No solution to rainy water being logged or consequential public disruptions is available unless corruption is totally eradicated from our lives and honest and efficient governance is restored at every phase of public administration.

Jagdish Chander

Prevent mosquito breeding

Monsoon, a season comprising both rain and joy, also brings with it many waterborne diseases. The recent conditions of the drainage systems have made it evident that waterlogging will completely jeopardise this monsoon, triggering a giant wave of waterborne diseases. Given the potential impact on the community, the government must allocate necessary resources and implement effective solutions without delay. Some steps to be taken on an urgent basis are:

Regulate water management and freshwater supply with regular cleaning and maintenance of water pipes, while keeping a detailed grid to monitor how each house in the city is provided water. This is essential to visualise which areas need the most water and which ones are affected by issues in water pipes.

Set up a regular misting system in streets with high amounts of stagnant water.

Organise manual sanitising drives with foggers and backpack sprayers to prevent mosquito breeding and the spread of infections due to stagnant water.

Run water preservation, anti-pollution and littering campaigns throughout the city to make the public aware of the situation and to prevent plastic pollution, which will not only stop waterlogging but also make the streets cleaner and more walkable.

Anyone caught polluting public property should be fined an appropriate amount to deter offenders. Additionally, people should not store water in open-air containers in public spaces or their homes, as this could worsen the mosquito-breeding situation.

Lakshit Jindal

Clean sewer lines, road gullies

The major reason for waterlogging in different areas of cities is the irregular cleaning of sewer lines throughout the year, even though the Municipal Corporation possesses super suction machines. A few years ago, the sewerage cleaning machines operated year-round, cleaning sewer lines from one chamber to another and slush was quickly removed. Similarly, cleaning of sewer chambers and road gully chambers was carried out before the monsoon, ensuring that rainwater could easily flow through the sewer lines and road gullies. Unfortunately, this has not been the case in recent times. The problem of waterlogging in low-lying areas is not new. Storm sewers were proposed in the city, but the result is known to all: after heavy rainfall, residents in low-lying areas have to face waterlogging. This problem is not exclusive to Jalandhar; it exists across many states. Municipal Corporation officials should prioritise the regular cleaning of sewer lines, sewer chambers and road gullies before the monsoon to alleviate the issue of waterlogging during the rainy season. The expanding urban areas also make it crucial to impose rainwater harvesting measures strictly in government and private schools, colleges, multi-storey buildings and other large structures. This will help recharge the underground water table in the coming years and address water scarcity issues.

Rajat Kumar Mohindru

Need for storm water drainage

The state government must take immediate action to implement a storm water drainage plan for the city, which has been a pressing need for many years. Sewer cleaning must be carried out on a war footing, after which, wherever possible, the sewer lines should be expanded to accommodate the growing population density. Additionally, an alternative stormwater drainage line must be laid to address the massive waterlogging problems faced during the rains. Unless the water capacity of Jalandhar’s pipelines is increased, there is no simple solution to this ongoing issue.

Simmi Shah

Monsoon woes due to poor planning

It has become imperative for residents to wade through knee-deep water every time it rains. For many, stepping out of the house without soiling their clothes is nearly impossible. In ankle- or knee-deep water, scooters and cars are rendered unusable. There have been numerous instances of vehicles breaking down, and miscreants have taken advantage of these situations to rob helpless residents. I live near the Focal Point and I am at the receiving end of this monsoon mayhem. While there are many places around the world that navigate even heavy rains without any waterlogging, the lack of proper planning and rampant corruption have turned this issue into a massive problem that the officials and government seem unwilling to address.

Jaideep Sapru

Profiteering amid poor infrastructure

In various parts of the city, including the heavily waterlogged 120 feet road, the monsoon season has become a boon for mechanics, miscreants and tire shop owners. They are charging hefty fees to people whose vehicles are stuck in the water. For the past several decades, successive administrations have failed to find a solution to this problem. Interestingly, the issue was dealt with much more swiftly before the Jalandhar West elections. It proves that where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Pratik Sharma

Jalandhar