Need sustainable urban planning
With monsoon fast approaching, concerns are mounting over whether the city’s civic infrastructure is adequate to handle heavy rainfall, and prevent flooding, waterlogging and drainage failures. Despite assurances from authorities regarding desilting operations, drain cleaning and infrastructure upgrades, residents witness a recurring pattern of inundated roads, overflowing sewers, traffic disruptions and damage to property during downpours. Rapid urbanisation, encroachments on natural drainage channels and inadequate maintenance of storm-water systems have increased the city’s vulnerability to flooding. While the Municipal Corporation (MC) claims to have initiated preventive measures and emergency response plans, the test will come when the rains arrive. Citizens expect a long-term strategy that addresses ageing infrastructure, guarantees timely completion of drainage projects and ensures accountability rather than temporary solutions. If preparedness is limited to routine pre-monsoon exercises, the city may once again face the familiar cycle of distress, underscoring the urgent need for sustainable and resilient urban planning.
Novin Christopher
Recent rain exposed reality
Recent moderate showers submerged roads and exposed significant gaps in monsoon preparations. As the city relies heavily on an ageing, mixed sewer-drainage system, infrastructure projects leave many areas — including Gill Road and Model Town Extension — vulnerable to severe waterlogging While the MC has initiated drain cleaning drives and the district administration has set up teams formed to flood-proof the city, history and recent rain spells suggest residents are likely to face temporary flooding once the heavy monsoon arrives. A key area of concern are roads dug up for the World Bank-funded water-supply project, which turn into slippery mud traps during rain. Rainwater frequently flows into domestic sewer lines, causing overflows and leads to streets being inundated in various localities, including Haibowal and Bharat Nagar Chowk. Pockets along Buddha Nullah remain at high risk of overflowing during continuous downpours.
Sukhdev Sharma
Reality far from civic body claims
While the MC claims to be prepared and does take some steps on paper, the ground reality in recent years points to vulnerability in many areas of the city. Structural and behavioural changes are essential to break the cycle. The civic infrastructure has long struggled with the same issues, and recent patterns suggest limited fundamental improvement ahead of the monsoon this year. As experienced once again during the recent rain, the problem of waterlogging occurs every time. It stems from dumping of waste in sewer lines that may clog the drainage system. Residents need to take care of certain things to prevent waterlogging, including not throwing filth and waste materials on roads as they may choke the drainage system. The MC should take care of broken pipes. Better planning that takes into account natural slopes is needed while laying pipelines.
Mohd Saleem Farooqui
Residents, authorities Need to be more alert
The state government has spent crores of rupees on rural flood defences and desilting drives, but trends show residents continue to face the same problems, such as waterlogging and drainage issues. The state government, however, is taking certain steps to ensure readiness ahead of the monsoon. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has ordered time-bound desilting and repair of vulnerable drains and river embankments. Municipal bodies have set up dedicated flood control rooms and emergency response teams to tackle waterlogging complaints. Civic bodies are using high-powered equipment, such as super suction machines, to clear sludge and solid waste from sewer lines.
Sucha Singh Sagar
Regular cleaning of sewers needed
The MC must ensure all preparations to cope with any floods or waterlogging that may occur during the monsoon. Drains and sewers need to be cleaned periodically and incomplete projects need to be expedited. Strict monitoring is necessary to ensure drains and sewers do not get clogged due to garbage or encroachments. Emergency response teams and water pumps should be ready to deal with any situation that may arise after excessive rainfall. Citizens also need to cooperate and not litter.
Tamanpreet Kaur Khangura
Set up 24×7 war room to address complaints
Every monsoon, city residents see a familiar cycle of flooding and civil neglect. Despite seasonal cleaning of sewer lines and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) roads, recent pre-monsoon showers led to heavy waterlogging and dangerous road cave-ins. Under the state’s Mission Clean Punjab, the MC has been instructed to eliminate all potholes and open manholes, especially in vulnerable areas. To strengthen civic response during the monsoon, the MC should set up a 24×7 “war room” to monitor waterlogging, flooding and sewerage blocking in real time. However, long-term relief remains elusive as expanding a dedicated storm sewer network is not feasible due to high costs and lack of a natural water body to discharge the runoff. The recurring cave-ins and aged, collapsing sewer lines underscore a desperate need for structural retrofitting, rather than cosmetic, pre-monsoon patchwork. Fund crisis has blocked construction of a citywide storm water network for more a decade.
RS Sembhi
MLAs, councillors should be accountable
Every year, tall claims made by the MC fall flat when rainfall starts. Even short spells of rain expose gaps, as evident by the showers in May, when waterlogging was reported from several parts of the city. It came shortly after the MC claimed to be monsoon ready. Residents are likely to face a familiar cycle of waterlogging, inundated streets and drainage failures once again. The MC should repair broken pipes. The government should impose heavy fines on those throwing waste on roads. Proper advertisements, training and education should be imparted on MC staff, students and the public. The city’s sewerage system should be adequate to handle the stress that comes with the monsoon. In case of any negligence of shortfalls, the contractor concerned should be held accountable. Councillors and MLAs concerned must answer if water accumulates in their respective areas.
Farzana Khan
Improve rainwater harvesting infra
Keeping in view the MC’s track record, enormity of the problem and the situation on ground, there is nothing to suggest the civic body is prepared to deal with the rainy season. It will be a repeat of the same story and excuses. The uneven topography of the city and the quantum of rain means the problem is beyond control. The solution is in reducing discharge of water on roads and drains. It can be done by installing rainwater harvesting systems on a big scale. The government needs to take the first step by installing the systems at its own buildings, offices and schools. Although it is already too late, a beginning can still be made. The citizens’ role is equally important. They should not dispose waste material, particularly plastics and textiles, irresponsibly. If they do so, the waste will find its way into roads and into sewer lines, choking the drainage system.
Ravinder Mittal
Disparity between various areas
There is a disparity in the drainage systems in various city areas. While developed areas have near perfect infrastructure for handling flash floods during the monsoon, most areas in the city’s outskirts are far from ready. They include the villages and small towns. Blocked sewers, flooded streets and inundated low-lying areas make the situation hell for the residents. Monsoon is essentially a nightmare for the people residing in these areas. Recent incidents of canal breaking in Mansa, Bathinda and Faridkot led to flooding in farmland. The administration should provide proper infrastructure to prevent waterlogging and drainage problems, and treat it as an urgent matter.
Aftab Fateh Singh Bains
Issue explained
As monsoon approaches, the city once again confronts the pressing question of whether its civic infrastructure is resilient enough to withstand the season’s challenges. Despite repeated assurances of desilting drains, repairing manholes and upgrading sewerage systems, residents often find themselves navigating flooded streets, overflowing sewers and stalled projects that expose a gap between planning and execution. Rapid urbanisation has outpaced the city’s drainage upgrades, with encroachments on water channels and poor maintenance compounding the risk of waterlogging. While civic authorities highlight ongoing projects and claim preparedness, the ground reality is far from it.
Question for next week
The state government’s Mission Clean Punjab banks on daily inspections and strict accountability. Can administrative pressure and field monitoring lead to lasting change or will the city continue to struggle with garbage piles, sewer blockages and short-lived campaigns?
Suggestions in not more than 150 words can be sent to ludhianadesk@tribunemail.com by Thursday (June 25).
