The Municipal Corporation has sounded the alarm by identifying 209 waterlogging hotspots across the city.
With CIDCO emerging as the worst-hit locality—hosting 63 such vulnerable points—the civic body has committed to launching an urgent drainage overhaul to mitigate the annual flooding crisis that has disrupted lives, damaged businesses, and raised serious public health concerns. City Engineer Sanjay Agarwal confirmed that a comprehensive drainage audit had been completed across six administrative zones—CIDCO, Satpur, Nashik Road, Panchavati, Nashik East, and Nashik West. The results were stark: urban flooding is no longer a sporadic issue but a city-wide systemic failure rooted in poor infrastructure and chronic maintenance lapses.
Among the zones, CIDCO and Nashik East fared particularly poorly, with residents in 21 neighbourhoods in the eastern division reportedly dealing with stagnant, foul-smelling water days after rainfall. The problem is compounded by choked stormwater drains—often clogged with plastic waste, silt, and debris—exacerbating urban flooding and contributing to unsafe living conditions. Commercial hubs such as Saraf Bazaar, Main Road, Mumbai Naka, Shalimar, and even the premises of the Municipal Headquarters find themselves repeatedly waterlogged during even moderate spells. Traders in these areas lament the damage to goods and the disruption of business, especially in markets like Liyavar Karanja and Dahipool that are otherwise economic lifelines for the city.
Experts argue that the underlying issue is the city’s overburdened and undermaintained underground drainage system. Decades of unplanned urbanisation and erratic solid waste management have left Nashik’s rainwater infrastructure fragile and outdated. The frequent accumulation of garbage in both open and covered drains reduces flow capacity, leading to overflow during peak rainfall hours. Residents, civic groups, and environmentalists have long called for a strategic, climate-resilient drainage masterplan. Many point to the need for an integrated approach that includes waste segregation, timely desilting of drains, creation of green corridors for natural water percolation, and robust early-warning systems.
Acknowledging these concerns, the Nashik Municipal Corporation has now promised prompt pre-monsoon measures, including cleaning of identified black spots and ensuring functional drainage channels. However, officials have yet to present a concrete timeline or share detailed engineering plans on how these chronic issues will be structurally addressed before the rains hit. While short-term relief efforts such as drain cleaning and emergency response units may reduce immediate risks, the city’s long-term resilience hinges on sustainable infrastructure planning rooted in environmental equity and proactive governance. With climate change making extreme weather more frequent, Nashik’s drainage reform is no longer a matter of convenience—it is one of urgent necessity.
If the city’s leadership acts decisively, Nashik could potentially set an example for mid-tier Indian cities grappling with the dual challenges of rapid growth and inadequate climate adaptation. Without such a transformation, however, each monsoon will remain a predictable disaster.
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