The monsoon season is about to end but the municipal corporation of Dehradun has done little to curtail the continued dumping of garbage in roadside drains by members of the public and the business fraternity.
It should be mentioned here that whenever the city receives more than moderate rainfall, many areas of the town and city roads experience water logging. This not only causes much public inconvenience but also creates unhygienic conditions. Apart from the inadequate drainage system, one of the major factors for the water logging is the dumping of garbage in drains.
The MCD has so far maintained its custom of cleaning the roadside drains during the monsoons, but has done little to prevent the drains from being used a garbage dumps. There are scores of dairies in the State capital from where dung is also dumped into the drains. Though municipal officials periodically talk of taking action against those dumping garbage in the wrong place,
little has been done so far by the authorities. The corporation has prepared a storm water drainage master plan worth Rs 400 crore for which approval will be sought under the second phase of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) in 2014. The Dehradun Mayor Vinod Chamoli has said more than once that bodies like the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority and Public Works Department should also focus on ensuring that unplanned or improper construction does not exacerbate the situation.
However, observers point out that on its own, the MCD has done little to prevent dumping of garbage in drains which continues unabated in the city. The lack of civic sense and failure of authorities to effectively enforce civic regulations were among the reasons why most of the canals which once lent to the beauty and environment of Doon, have now been covered.