Nagpur: Residents of a housing society in Beltarodi claimed to have warned Besa-Pipla Nagar Panchayat about blocked sewer lines and clogged drains nearly a week before Tuesday’s torrential rain, but no preventive action was taken.As per a letter accessed by TOI, residents had cautioned that failure to clean the drainage network would result in severe waterlogging during heavy rainfall. This came true when the area was inundated following the heavy rain.The letter, submitted on July 24 by residents of Somnath Palace-2, informed Nagar Panchayat that the drain serving the locality had remained blocked for two days, causing foul water to accumulate across the society. They requested immediate cleaning of the drain and restoration of proper wastewater flow.Residents alleged that despite acknowledging the complaint, the civic body did not carry out desilting or repair work. “Our society secretary had submitted the letter,” said resident Anamisharan Choudhary, adding, “Every monsoon for the last two to three years, our sewer line backs up because the drainage system is faulty.”As per Choudhary, the sewer line connects to Taywade Nagar through an open pit that frequently gets clogged with sand and garbage dumped from neighbouring areas. They alleged that the line has not been laid at a proper gradient, further hampering the flow of wastewater.Residents said nearby duplex houses were flooded, with water entering homes while roads in the locality remained submerged after Tuesday’s downpour. They added that even a local corporator had visited the site a few days earlier and acknowledged that the drain was clogged.A senior official from the civic body told TOI that nullah deepening was done in the past. “There are many residential societies there, and that puts pressure on the existing infra. The nullah is very old, built during the gram panchayat regime,” the official said.
