Old long-pending issues: City’smonsoon prep inspires no trust

Ludhiana: Civic authorities have launched a pre-monsoon clean-up of the Buddha Dariya and the city's sewer systems, yet residents remain sceptical of these flood-prevention efforts, citing years of waterlogging and minimal long-term solutions.
Municipal teams began clearing garbage and overgrown weed near bridges where the Buddha Dariya's flow is often obstructed, during heavy rain particularly. The initiative includes cleaning road gulleys and sewers, which are often overwhelmed during peak monsoon periods.
Haibowal resident Jatin Kumar said: "For the past few years, despite repeated assurances, the civic body has failed to prevent flooding in residential areas, near Buddha Dariya especially. This piecemeal cleaning doesn't help anymore. With rising water usage in summer, the drains are overloaded. Authorities concerned must ensure cleaning every two weeks if they want to avoid another disaster."
City engineers acknowledge that previous road-widening projects have narrowed sections of the drain, reducing its capacity. Cleaning teams now report that weed and sludge are accumulating at bottlenecks, further restricting flow. Machines have been deployed, but blockages remain a concern.
In some areas, sewer cleaning is underway, but many locals say such efforts are too little, too late. "Every year it's the same story," said Sunita Gupta of Civil City. "No real planning is done for stormwater drains. Rainwater simply accumulates at the roadside, and nothing changes. This year won't be any different."
Anshu Garcha, subdivisional officer in charge of operations and maintenance, said efforts were on schedule. "We've begun cleaning the Buddha Dariya and are working simultaneously on sewer lines in residential areas," she claimed. With the monsoon weeks away, civic officials now face mounting pressure to prove their efforts can keep the city dry — and deliver where previous years have failed.