Nagpur: The pre-rain preparedness of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has hit a roadblock — nearly 80% of the city’s stormwater drain chambers remain choked, raising serious concerns over flooding in vulnerable areas during monsoon.Official data till March 25 reveals that only 7,629 of the total 48,268 stormwater chambers have been desilted, translating to a mere 20% completion. With municipal commissioner Vipin Itankar setting an April 30 deadline, zonal teams now face an uphill task to bridge the massive gap in a short span.Stormwater chambers are critical for draining rainwater off roads. When clogged with silt, plastic, and debris, they fail to channel water into the drainage network, leading to rapid accumulation on roads and eventual spillover into residential areas. Civic experts warn that delayed desilting significantly heightens the risk of urban flooding, especially during intense rainfall spells.The situation is further aggravated by a structural issue — the rapid conversion of tar roads into cement concrete (CC) surfaces across Nagpur. While CC roads improve durability, they drastically reduce natural percolation of rainwater into the ground. With the stormwater drainage network’s capacity remaining largely unchanged, runoff volumes have surged, overwhelming existing infrastructure and causing frequent waterlogging in low-lying pockets.Zonal performance data paints a grim picture. Ashi Nagar zone has reported the poorest progress, cleaning just 180 out of 3,875 chambers. Dhantoli zone is lagging too, with only 190 of its 2,722 chambers cleared so far. Gandhibagh zone, which has the highest number of chambers at 14,731, has managed to clean only 3,145 — leaving a staggering backlog.Lakadganj zone has fared relatively better, completing around one-third of its target. However, key zones such as Laxmi Nagar, Dharampeth, Hanuman Nagar, and Nehru Nagar continue to lag far behind the required pace, raising doubts over whether the city can meet its pre-monsoon targets in time.Civic officials maintain that the desilting of chambers is being carried out simultaneously with nullah cleaning, with additional sanitation workers deployed to accelerate the drive. Chief sanitation officer Dr Gajendra Mahalle expressed confidence that the work would be completed within the stipulated deadline.However, past experiences offer little comfort. Several areas in Nagpur witnessed severe waterlogging during previous monsoons, with clogged drains and inadequate outflow capacity cited as key reasons. With the clock ticking and a substantial portion of the network still uncleared, slow progress has set off alarm bells.
