Monsoon or not, roadsides should be debris-free

Debris after road work is almost always left along the sides, which eventually flows into drains, choking them during the monsoon

The administrator of the civic body has asked officials to file police complaints against agencies and contractors if they fail to remove debris from the roadside. In many cases, rubble is dumped into our city drains, leading to flooding.

Our monsoon season is barely three months away, and work to make the city ‘flood-proof' has begun. While the prevention of flooding is being worked on, we say this has been a long time coming. Monsoon or no monsoon, debris and rubble thrown into drains is a no-no.

At times, we see projects completed not one month on but a year ago, and yet, the debris still remains accumulated on the roadside and pavements. This is a huge obstacle for walkers and pedestrians. It becomes a garbage dumping spot and is extremely unhygienic. Mounds of rubble also become a spot where stray dogs pee. In these times when the accent is on hygiene, that is one point that has been stressed through the pandemic, it is hugely important that we do not lose the momentum on cleanliness awareness.

Let us try and make our environment as clean as possible and getting rid of debris is one big aspect of that. It is not just police complaints but one that leads to action that should be a deterrent and lead to clean-up acts by agencies and contractors.

In fact, even while work is on, contractors must clean up as much as possible daily, shifting rubble to one side or carting it away, rather than waiting for the entire project to be over. Warning signage about ongoing work should be clear and visible rather than buried in a mound of rubbish, as we often see. Let us see an end to these little ‘hills' that dot our streetscape and choke whatever little outlets, like drains, we have for floodwater.