On a day when the city was pounded by a spell of heavy rain, the glaring defects in the open drainage system came to the fore. All it took was two hours of incessant rain and the roads turned into cesspools. Pedestrians and vehicle users had a tough time with the former forced to wade through knee-deep waters on the Lakshmipuram Road, where most of the commercial establishments were located.
Worse was the plight of people living in residential colonies, where the internal roads have been dug up as the Guntur Municipal Corporation was taking up works relating to laying of Under Ground Drainage (UGD) scheme.
At many places, people complained that their vehicles were getting stuck in the mud and gravel used to fill up the gaps in CC roads.
For a town with historical moorings, the labyrinthine network of drains cutting across streets and roads reflect the lack of proper planning and civic infrastructure. The total drainage network in the town extends up to a length of 1,400 k.m. However, in many areas the absence of lined storm water drains meant that the excess water overflows on the roads.
Lack of desilting
Lack of desilting of major drains has been leading to inundation of residential colonies during monsoon and blockage of open drains has been causing health problems. The rampant commercial activity coupled with encroachments on the drains have put enormous pressure on the open and storm water drainage system.
However, it is the lack of civic sense among many people that has been worrying and unless people realise the hazards of throwing litter in the drain and cooperate with the municipal staff, things would not improve.
For many years, the GMC has slept on the issue until it had taken up a major exercise of desilting all major drains as part of a pre-monsoon action plan.
“We are facing problems due to incomplete works related to Under Ground Drainage (UGD) scheme. We will take up desilting of major drains soon,’’ said Municipal Commissioner C. Anuradha.