Kanpur Mayor Pramila Pandey stated on Thursday that the Kanpur Municipal Corporation cannot be solely blamed for the city’s ongoing waterlogging problems during the current monsoon season. She emphasized that other government departments also share responsibility for the situation, highlighting the need for a coordinated response to address the issue effectively.
312 ponds existed within the old boundary of the Kanpur Development Authority (KDA), according to govt records. Pandey demanded a drone and GIS survey of all 312 ponds to identify their boundaries as per revenue records. Pandey said most of these ponds had either disappeared due to encroachment or were on the verge of extinction.
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Pandey said media reports appeared to suggest that the mayor was being held responsible for the city’s “sorry state”, but denied this and urged officials of other departments to work together for Kanpur. Now, colonies and markets have come up on these sites, resulting in waterlogging,” she said, adding that she had already raised the issue with the chief minister. Mayor said KMC lacked powers to undertake planned city development, unlike municipal corporations in several other districts. “KDA should reveal where all the ponds have gone,” she said. She further said that if any govt agency, including the KDA, had undertaken development projects on pond land, such decisions should be reviewed publicly. “Citizens have the right to know where their natural water bodies have gone,” she said.
Pandey identified waterlogging and depletion of groundwater as two major problems facing the city and attributed both largely to the disappearance of traditional ponds. She demanded that the ponds be identified and restored and that officials responsible for allowing encroachments be held accountable. She alleged KDA had either sold pond land or allowed encroachments in the name of development. She also sought inquiries wherever construction or encroachment was found on pond land. Pandey also demanded that the divisional commissioner constitute a committee to investigate the present status of ponds in the district. Download the TOI App.
“Earlier, excess rainwater used to accumulate in these ponds and the city did not face such waterlogging.