Jaipur: Jaipur Municipal Corporation’s claims of extensive pre-monsoon cleaning of drains, sewer lines and manholes have come under scrutiny after a few hours of rainfall exposed glaring shortcomings in the city’s drainage system.
Akshay Patra Road, Jagatpura
While JMC says major drains have been cleaned and work on the remaining network is still underway, residents across several localities continue to face waterlogging, overflowing drains and unhygienic conditions.In the Walled City, Hida Ki Mori and Shri Mal Colony in Kishanpole Zone remain waterlogged three days after rainfall Sunday night and Monday.Former councillor Mohammad Zakariya alleged that poor maintenance of the drainage system is the main issue. “The drains are never cleaned properly. When it rained three days ago, the water had nowhere to go and remained on the roads instead of flowing into the drainage system. On top of that, sewage and filth overflowed from the drains,” he said.Residents alleged that civic authorities have become unresponsive since the municipal board’s tenure ended. Irfan Ahmed, a resident of Shri Mal Colony, said, “It has been four days since the last rain in the area, yet water is still flowing out of this drain. If this dirty water continues to stagnate, our children will fall ill.”Zakariya further claimed that the contractor entrusted with maintaining the area’s drainage system has deployed only three workers. “They simply cannot maintain the entire network. We have lodged several complaints with the corporation, but nobody is listening,” he alleged.At Kartarpura Nala, sewer sludge removed during cleaning operations was dumped along the roadside for several days before it was cleared on Tuesday following complaints from residents. On the same day, sludge extracted from manholes near Maharani Farm Puliya was left at the site after the cleaning work.Suresh Banethiya, a resident, said, “Cleaning the drains is important, but leaving the waste on the roadside for days defeats the purpose. During the rains, it starts stinking and people have to walk past the filth every day.”Another resident, Reena Mahawar, said, “After a day or two, people begin treating these piles as open dumping spots. Household waste gets mixed with the sewer sludge, making the area even dirtier.”JMC officials said contractors are responsible for cleaning drains and sewer lines, while lifting the sludge is the corporation’s responsibility. An executive engineer (Garage), JMC, said, “The sludge is left at the site to dry because transporting it immediately could lead to spillage on the roads, creating unhygienic conditions and inconvenience for commuters. Once it dries, it can be transported more safely.”“Another challenge is that during the drying period, residents often dump household waste on top of the sludge heaps. This mixes municipal waste with sewer sludge, making collection and disposal more difficult and time-consuming.”However, residents questioned why the civic body has not invested in fully sealed vehicles capable of transporting wet sludge.
