Ajay Kumar,Senior Journalist
Lucknow (U.P.)
Mob:- 9335566111
The dream of becoming a developed nation by 2047 is not merely a government objective; it represents the aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians. It promises to make India the world's third-largest economy, with modern cities, world-class infrastructure, and a better quality of life. Yet every monsoon holds up a mirror to this dream, one that reflects not shining claims of progress, but waterlogged roads, hours-long traffic jams, overflowing sewers, collapsing roads, and helpless citizens. The real question is not how much it rained. The real question is whether our urban infrastructure is still incapable of withstanding even normal monsoon rainfall. This year, the monsoon covered the entire country on schedule. While this was welcome news for farmers, it also brought back the familiar urban crisis. In Delhi, just a few hours of rainfall submerged underpasses, caused massive traffic congestion on major roads, and brought normal life to a standstill in several areas. In Gurugram, nearly 115 mm of rainfall brought traffic on NH-48 and Sohna Road to a halt for hours. The city is known for its IT companies and towering skyscrapers, but every monsoon proves that its greatest weakness is not the weather, it is its drainage system.
Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, is no different. Areas such as Gomti Nagar, Ashiyana, Jankipuram, Aliganj, and several newly developed colonies witness the same scenes every year. Roads inaugurated only a few months earlier begin to deteriorate after the first spell of heavy rain. In some places, the asphalt washes away; elsewhere, potholes appear, and in many areas, entire stretches of road cave in. The city has expanded rapidly, but its drainage infrastructure has not kept pace. New residential colonies continued to emerge without adequately addressing one fundamental question: where will the rainwater go? The root of the problem is not heavy rainfall alone; it lies in our approach to development. In India, preparations for digging up a road often begin even before it is completed. Today, a sewer line is laid; a few months later, a gas pipeline follows; then electricity cables are installed, followed by fiber-optic networks. Every department works independently, but none follows a coordinated plan. As a result, roads built at the cost of millions of rupees are repeatedly dug up and reconstructed, while ordinary citizens ultimately bear the cost of poor-quality infrastructure. In developed countries, underground utilities are planned in an integrated manner before roads are constructed. In India, roads are often built first, while planning comes later.
The biggest weakness in this entire system is the absence of accountability. Municipal corporations claim to have cleaned drains, the Public Works Department claims to have built quality roads, development authorities claim to have created modern townships, and water authorities claim to have improved sewer systems. Yet when it rains, every department blames another. How many engineers are suspended when roads collapse after the first rainfall? How many contractors are blacklisted? How many officials are held accountable? The public can hardly recall any such examples. That is why the same mistakes are repeated every year, followed by another round of promises.Corruption remains one of the strongest roots of this crisis. If a road designed to last ten years deteriorates within a single year, it is not merely a technical failure it is a waste of public money. If crores of rupees are spent on cleaning drains, yet streets become flooded after the first rainfall, the conclusion is obvious: either the work was not carried out honestly, or oversight failed completely. The greatest obstacle to development is not a shortage of resources but the misuse of available resources.
A recent World Bank report states that India's urban population could reach nearly 950 million by 2050, while more than half of the urban infrastructure required by then has yet to be built. The report also warns that unless Indian cities are made resilient to climate change, urban flooding alone could result in annual losses worth billions of dollars. Delhi and Lucknow are among the 24 cities examined in the report. Climate change has further intensified this crisis. Episodes of extremely heavy rainfall within short periods are becoming increasingly common. At the same time, cities have destroyed their own natural drainage systems by encroaching upon streams, ponds, wetlands, and traditional rainwater channels. Places where rainwater once naturally seeped into the ground are now covered with concrete. Areas that once served as drainage pathways are occupied by high-rise buildings. When nature's drainage routes are blocked, water inevitably creates its own path and that path is usually our roads.
A developed India cannot be defined solely by bullet trains, metro systems, or expressways. A truly developed India is one where an ambulance carrying a pregnant woman is not trapped in traffic because of rain; where schoolchildren do not have to wade through filthy floodwater; where shopkeepers are not forced to shut down their businesses because of waterlogging; and where people are not compelled to flood social media with images of submerged capital cities after the first rainfall. The time has come not merely for announcements but for systemic reform. Every city must have a scientifically designed drainage master plan. Coordination among all utility agencies should be mandatory before road construction begins. Contractors must be legally bound by strict quality guarantees. If a road fails after the first rainfall, payments should be withheld and the officials responsible must be held personally accountable. Old ponds, natural drains, and traditional rainwater channels should be restored. Municipal bodies must undergo regular social and technical audits.
Unless corruption is confronted with uncompromising determination, every monsoon will continue to wash away the claims of development. The year 2047 is not far away. Every passing monsoon reminds us that the path to a developed India does not run through parliamentary declarations alone, it runs through the streets that ordinary citizens use every single day. If Delhi, Lucknow, and cities across the country continue to come to a standstill after the first rainfall every year, then the problem lies not in the clouds, but in our policies. The dream of becoming a developed nation will become a reality only when the monsoon brings relief instead of fear, resilience instead of disruption, and confidence instead of hardship.
