Jaipur: The first spell of monsoon rain has exposed Jaipur’s chronic drainage problems, with overflowing drains, waterlogged roads and flooded residential lanes disrupting daily life across several parts of the city. While the Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) claims to have cleaned nearly 50% of the city’s drains ahead of the monsoon, residents say the situation on the ground reflects little improvement.
Water stagnates around an overflowing drain in Jaipur
Rainfall over the past two days led to waterlogging in Murlipura, Purani Chungi, Gurjar Ki Thadi, Shastri Nagar and Jawahar Nagar Kacchi Basti. In many areas, drains overflowed despite recent desilting work, leaving roads submerged and forcing commuters and residents to wade through dirty water.At Purani Chungi, residents said poor road conditions have worsened the problem. “Waterlogging has become a regular issue here. Our lane is yet to be rebuilt, so every rainfall leaves water standing outside our homes, making it difficult to step out. Neither the corporation nor the former councillor has addressed the problem,” said resident Pooja Sharma.In Shastri Nagar, Gajendra Gupta said the city’s drainage system appears incapable of handling even moderate rainfall. “Every shower floods the roads, and we are left walking through mud and stagnant water,” he said.Residents of Shanti Nagar in Gurjar Ki Thadi said they had expected relief after extensive drain-cleaning work in the locality. “The drains were cleaned for weeks, but Friday’s rain showed nothing has changed. The drains overflowed again and the entire lane was flooded,” said Shaurya Solanki.In Jawahar Nagar Kacchi Basti, residents fear the situation could worsen with more rainfall. Yugal Koda, president of the Jawahar Nagar Kacchi Basti Sangharsh Samiti, said they had alerted the district administration last month about possible flooding. “A machine was brought to clean the drain only once. The pond behind the settlement is already full. If it rains again, water will enter our homes,” he said.Former deputy leader of opposition Bharat Meghwal questioned JMC’s preparedness, alleging that barely 21% of drains had actually been cleaned. He said drain desilting should be a year-round exercise rather than a pre-monsoon activity and called for better planning to prevent recurring flooding.
