The heavy rain that began on Thursday in Noida and Greater Noida exposed the reality of the city's weak drainage system. Major areas such as the Mahamaya Flyover, Sector-73 Stadium, Sarfabad, Sector-52 Metro Station, Kanchanjunga Market, and the service road of Sector-61 were inundated with knee-deep water. Due to the waterlogging, schoolchildren were late to school, and people going to the office were stuck in traffic jams for hours. The crawling vehicles and submerged roads in the city have raised serious questions about the preparedness of the Noida and Greater Noida authorities.
Chaos Ensues as Societies Face Waterlogging
The worst impact of the rain was felt in residential areas, where the basements of dozens of societies were submerged. In several housing societies like Shree Radha Sky Garden, Mahagun Mywoods, Galaxy Royal, Ajnara Homes, and Supertech Eco Village, cars parked in the basements were completely submerged due to the water. In Supertech Eco Village-1, about 15 vehicles got stuck in the waterlogging, a video of which went viral on social media. People had to wade through dirty water while going to the office, which caused great inconvenience. In many places, people were seen using buckets and mugs to remove water from their vehicles.
Soil Subsidence of up to 20 Feet
A major incident of soil subsidence occurred on Saturday morning near New Haibatpur village in Greater Noida West, at an under-construction site of the Amrapali Group. When local people inspected the site during their morning walk, they saw that the ground had subsided by about 20 feet near the basement excavation. This incident caused panic in the area. Local people alleged that the builder was neglecting safety standards during the construction work. Although there was no loss of life in this incident, the continuous rain and negligent construction work have created a significant hazard.
Dilapidated Conditions Due to Waterlogging in Several Sectors of the City
On Friday too, the rain severely affected the city. Traffic was affected for hours in Greater Noida West from Gaur City Golchakkar to Ek Murti. School vehicles were seen stuck in traffic jams on the 130-meter road. Dozens of vehicles got stuck in the underpass near Paramount and Shivalik Homes due to waterlogging. The traffic police, after great effort, pulled out the stuck vehicles.
After the rain, more than a foot of water accumulated in residential areas like Alpha, Beta, Sector-36, Sector-37, and Omicron. Local residents and social organizations questioned the working style of the authority, saying that the same situation occurs every year during the rains, but no concrete steps are taken towards a permanent solution. Harendra Bhati, a member of the Active Citizen Team, said that even a slight rain brings the city's life to a standstill, which exposes the failure of the municipal authority.
This situation of rain once again showed that the claims of making the city a smart city are limited only to papers. Now is the time for the officials to come out on the field and do concrete work, so that this oft-repeated story can come to an end.
