Heavy rainfall erupted in Jalandhar on Wednesday morning. After a few hours of rainfall in Jalandhar that started around 9 am, the city came to a standstill. Many areas of Jalandhar went underwater and people had to remain at their homes as too much of water accumulated on streets and roads.
Many were seen standing under the shed of local markets and shops. Many shops were also seen shut down around 11 am due to heavy rainfall and waterlogging.
Below is how Jalandhar looked after a few hours of rainfall
Notably, this is not the first time Jalandhar has witnessed the problem of waterlogging. As a result, a question again popped up that Jalandhar Municipal Corporation has not properly cleaned sewerage. Therefore, the drainage system of the city has been paralyzed.
However, Jalandhar MC Commissioner Gautam Jain stated that pinning the blame on non-cleaning of sewerage is short sightedness.
Jalandhar MC Commissioner Gautam Jain while talking to True Scoop informed, "Jalandhar continues to face water-logging year after year. It is a short-sighted view to say that this happens only because the sewerage is not cleaned properly. The problem is much deeper.
Our sewerage system was originally designed for around 135 KL. Today there is an oversupply of water, especially during summers, along with high demand from tubewells. This overloads the system and leads to frequent overflows."
"Yes, sewerage cleaning is one part of the solution, but the bigger challenge is that all rainwater also enters the sewerage lines, which they were never meant to handle. This mixture of sewer and rainwater causes severe pressure on the system."
MC Commissioner Jain stated that Jalandhar need is a multi-dimensional approach. It needs public awareness for efficient water use, stronger sewage treatment plants (STPs), separate drainage systems for rainwater, area-centric solutions such as rainwater harvesting."
"Only by combining these measures can we reduce the recurring problem of water-logging in Jalandhar," added MC Commissioner.