Nagpur: A single spell of heavy rain earlier this week rekindled fears among Nagpur’s residents, as glaring civic lapses resurfaced — most dangerously along the Nag River, where huge portions of a crucial retaining wall remain incomplete despite repeated assurances from the municipal corporation. Nearly two years after the devastating floods of September 2023, the city continues to struggle with poor monsoon preparedness. The latest downpour — 32mm recorded between Wednesday and Thursday — once again inundated several low-lying areas, exposing the city’s inadequate drainage and river management systems.The most alarming situation emerged near Corporation Colony, not far from the Ambazari Lake overflow point which triggered last year’s flooding. Here, huge stretches along the Nag River are bereft of protective retaining walls. During a spot visit, Team TOI identified at least three such exposed locations in the Colony itself where construction had not begun. Even a massive tree had fallen onto the riverbed, creating a blockage in the natural flow of Nag river near Corporation Colony.”In Shankar Nagar too, the NMC is yet to rebuild the damaged retaining wall along Nag River. The risk of floods is just round the corner,” said residents, who were affected last year. “These vulnerable stretches, barely metres from residential areas, could lead to floodwaters surging directly into homes if the river overflows again,” they warned. Echoing the community’s frustration, Dr Archana Deshpande, one of the flood victims from Shankar Nagar, sharply criticised the civic body’s execution. “The NMC has taken up the retaining wall work in such a haphazard and patchy manner — it’s neither systematic nor continuous. Instead of building it progressively from one end to another, they’ve constructed bits and pieces here and there,” she said. “In Shankar Nagar and Corporation Colony, huge gaps still remain, especially near the garden, leaving the nearby homes exposed to floodwaters. Even after repeated inspections by top officials and a pending PIL, key obstructions like the Vivekananda Memorial haven’t been touched,” she pointed out. Deshpande also highlighted the broader impact on educational institutions and the lack of follow-up action. “LAD College suffered massive losses in the floods, yet there has been no accountability or compensation. We have submitted representations many times but nothing has changed. Every spell of rain reignites our fears. We feel completely helpless and abandoned,” she added.Ironically, this site had recently been inspected by senior officials, including municipal commissioner Abhijeet Chaudhari, during a river desilting operation. Heavy machinery, including JCBs, were deployed to clear the riverbed. However, the machinery is now gone, and while the silt has been removed, no wall has been rebuilt in its place. Despite multiple press releases from the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) claiming that desilting and safety wall repairs are being carried out, the situation on the ground tells a different story. Across several locations, construction has been stalled, leaving thousands of residents exposed to the next heavy rain.In 2023, Nagpur witnessed severe damage due to rain-induced flooding, particularly in riverside zones. This year, despite promises of improvement, officials appear to be repeating the same mistakes. “If the river overflows now, there’s nothing stopping the water from rushing into homes,” said a local resident, pointing to the exposed bank behind him. According to NMC chief engineer Manoj Talewar, retaining walls were damaged at 56 locations across the Nag, Pili, and Pora rivers during last year’s floods. Of these, reconstruction work at 51 sites has been fully completed, while work on five major stretches is still underway and expected to finish soon. Talewar said that NMC has again requested the state govt to release an additional Rs70 crore to pay contractors engaged in flood rehabilitation works. So far, the civic body has received Rs82 crore, he added.As the monsoon intensifies, the risk to life and property is growing. Urban planning experts and activists are calling for an immediate audit of all riverbank safety projects and strict accountability for delays. With more rain forecast in the coming weeks, civic authorities have little time left. Unless urgent measures are taken to complete the pending works, Nagpur could once again find itself going underwater.
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