Flood risks linger despite 100-day river clean-up drive

Dehradun: With the Dehradun Municipal Corporation’s 100-day river-cleaning drive entering its final week, residents and environmental activists have questioned its effectiveness, alleging that poor waste management and inadequate clean-up efforts continue to leave several areas vulnerable to monsoon flooding.Residents said riverbeds clogged with garbage and debris contributed to flooding in parts of the city during last week’s rains. The Rispana river inundated areas of Gujrada Mansingh and IT Park, while Nala Pani Ki Rao, a tributary of the Rispana, submerged lanes in localities extending up to Tapovan and Vishnu Colony.Surendra Kumar Malhotra, a resident of Chuna Bhatta near Karanpur, said a machine was deployed to clean the river a few days ago, but the removed sludge and garbage were left on the riverbank. “They did not take it away. They just made a small pathway for the water to flow and left the muck on the side,” he added.Malhotra alleged that indiscriminate dumping of waste into the river remains a major problem. “The clean-up efforts amount to nothing if sweepers themselves throw garbage into the river from nearby areas,” he said.With the monsoon approaching, residents living along riverbanks said flooding has become an annual ordeal. Near Canal Road along the Rispana, sludge removed from the river channel was dumped on slopes beside makeshift stalls, locals alleged.One of the stall owners, Soni Rani, said she dismantles her stall every monsoon and waits for the rains to subside before setting it up again. “We remain at home throughout the rainy season,” she said.Lakshmi Jaiswal, who lives near the Bindal river bridge on Kanwali Road, said garbage in the river obstructs the flow of water. “The water rises to the level of the bridge, overflows onto the road and enters my house. The soil also becomes loose and gets washed away regularly, damaging my main gate,” she said.Environmental activist Reenu Paul said recurring flooding reflects a lack of accountability. “Year after year, the situation repeats itself, but nobody is held accountable. Road widening was carried out in the Barlowganj-Chamasari area last year and all the rubble was left on the slopes. Eventually, it washes into the rivers,” she said, adding that E coli traces had also been detected in river water.Paul said rapid urbanisation after Dehradun became the state capital has increased the city’s vulnerability to urban flooding. “People settle near riverbeds and throw household waste directly into the rivers,” she said, adding that polluted rivers in Uttarakhand also affect downstream states.Deputy municipal commissioner Rajveer Singh Chauhan said, “17,843 metric tonnes of waste had been removed from rivers and drains across the city since the river-cleaning project began on March 8.” Officials said efforts to clear waste and debris from rivers and streams are continuing ahead of the peak monsoon season.