Jamshedpur: With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting another spell of heavy rain over the next few days, civic authorities and public representatives have raised concern over Jamshedpur’s clogged storm-water drains, blaming rampant dumping of plastic waste and household garbage for repeated waterlogging during recent showers.The warning follows heavy rainfall that submerged large parts of the city, with dirty drain water entering hundreds of homes, damaging household goods worth lakhs and leaving residents to face overflowing sewage.“Drain water entered our house and damaged furniture, mattresses, and electrical appliances. We suffered losses worth nearly ₹2 lakh. The worst experience was seeing snakes entering our home with the floodwater,” said Rakesh Singh, a resident of Baridih.“The drains are cleaned before the monsoon, but within weeks they are filled with plastic again. Unless people stop dumping garbage, the situation will never improve,” said Anita Das of Sidhgora.After touring affected areas, Jamshedpur East MLA Purnima Sahu appealed to residents to stop dumping garbage into roadside drains, saying civic agencies alone cannot prevent flooding if people continue to choke the drainage network with plastic waste.“After discussions with TSUISL, desilting and deep cleaning of the storm-water drains were carried out. However, the drains have become clogged again because people continue to dump plastic bags and household garbage into them. Citizens have to become equal partners in keeping the city flood-free,” she added.Urging residents to dispose of household waste only in designated bins and avoid throwing plastic into drains, Mango mayor Sudha Gupta said, “Every plastic bag thrown into a drain eventually blocks the flow of rainwater and increases the risk of waterlogging.”Sources in the civic body said illegal structures over drains have reduced carrying capacity and made maintenance difficult. Although plastic carry bags are banned in Jharkhand, they remain widely used in markets and continue to block drains.
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