Noida's poor drainage system makes monsoons undesirable

With the onset of monsoon, the roads of Noida get plastered with the sludge and dirt from the drains which often spill over to the streets.

In various sectors, open drains exist which become breeding grounds for mosquitoes which lead to vector-borne diseases.

In Sector 41, residents have time and again complained about the horrid conditions of the drains and how unsafe these open drains are, although the authorities failed to hear their voices. After several complaints, the Noida Authority ended up excavating the road and creating a semi-open drain in the middle of the road in some blocks of the sector.

With the houses lined near open drains, garbage is dumped in these which causes an unpleasant and overpowering stench to emanate.

Avinash Seth, a student currently staying in a paying guest accommodation in the sector expressed disgust over the conditions during the monsoons. "I love the monsoons but here, in Noida, I have always faced problems because of waterlogging which makes it tough for commuting to college daily," said Avinash.

Reena Verma, a resident of Sector 41 has been living here for 15 years and expressed how monsoon is the most dreaded time of the year."Power cuts and waterlogging have been prominent problems faced by residents in Noida. Moreover, the horrible drainage system makes water stagnate on the roads making it tough to walk," said Reena.

The issue takes a different turn as stray dogs end up drinking water from the dirty drains making them endure a number of infections and diseases. Many of these street dogs die painful deaths because of diseases.

Instead of greeting the much-needed monsoon, residents have to come to prefer the dry summer heat which keeps the water-borne diseases at bay.