Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A little over 30 minutes of heavy rain on Saturday night exposed the Bhopal Municipal Corporation's (BMC) claims of having cleaned the city's 642 drains three times ahead of the monsoon.
Drains declared fully desilted overflowed during the season's first major shower, flooding roads and sending dirty water into homes and hostels across the city.
Waterlogging of around 1-2 feet was reported from several areas, including DIG Bungalow Square, Hamidia Road, Gandhi Medical College (GMC) hostel, Shiv Nagar and Vishwakarma Nagar.
While residents spent the night draining water from their homes, BMC teams arrived on Sunday with bulldozers to clear blocked drains, raising questions over the effectiveness of the civic body's pre-monsoon preparations.
Concrete pipe found in 'cleaned' drain
The most striking case emerged from Vishwakarma Nagar in Karond, where a large concrete pipe was removed from a drain during Sunday's cleaning drive.
The pipe had obstructed the flow of rainwater, leading to severe flooding in the locality.
Residents questioned how such a major blockage went unnoticed despite the corporation's repeated claims of comprehensive drain cleaning.
Rs 3.5 cr hostel flooded
The rain also exposed deficiencies at the Gandhi Medical College (GMC) boys' hostel.
The ground floor of the recently renovated C-Block hostel, upgraded at a cost of nearly Rs 3.5 crore, was inundated.
Videos of the flooded corridors went viral on social media, with students claiming that water entered rooms and damaged their belongings, raising concerns over the quality of construction and drainage planning.
Civic negligence
Residents of Vishwakarma Nagar said overflowing drains forced them to raise beds, cupboards and other household items on bricks and paver blocks to prevent damage.
Some also claimed drain water contaminated their household water tanks. Others alleged that an incomplete drain near their homes prevented proper discharge of water despite repeated complaints to civic officials.
Emergency teams deployed: Jain
BMC commissioner Sanskriti Jain defended the corporation's response, saying, "Wherever waterlogging or other issues have been reported in the city, restoration work is being carried out continuously.
After rainfall, the strong flow of water brings silt and debris into the drains, which are being cleaned. We have deployed emergency teams to respond promptly to such situations," said Jain.
