Lucknow: Poor roads still a worry; water sprinkling plan fails to take off

LUCKNOW: Civic agencies have so far failed to implement the state government’s order to sprinkle water on broken roads to prevent dust from polluting the atmosphere.
Track the pollution level in your city
The government had directed Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) and UP Public Works Department (UPPWD) to repair all roads by October 31.
However, both have missed the deadline and now a ban has been enforced on repair and construction of roads in view of rising air pollution.According to a survey by Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), dust raised from broken roads contributed around 87% to total air pollution in the city. Hence, orders were issued to sprinklewater on broken roads to settle the dust.
A TOI reality check found that water sprinkling has been limited to main roads and posh areas. There are many internal roads where residents complained that no water sprinkling has been done. Some prominent areas like Gomtinagar, Jankipuram, Jankipuram Extension, Hazratganj, Lajpatnagar and Mahanagar have tattered roads and residents have been complaining about respiratory, skin and eye problems due to dust which enters their homes and settles in layers.
The road from Kisan Bazar in Vibhuti Khand to Vinay Khand is full of potholes.
“I have dust allergy and cannot cross this stretch without a mask. Even after that, I have breathing trouble and irritation in eyes,” said Kapil Verma of Vibhuti Khand.
Several roads in Jankipuram are also full of potholes and both locals and commuters complain about dust causing problems.
Kartik Srivastava of sector C said, “Dust regularly enters our house. I am worried about its impact on my children’s health. I have purchased dust masks but they are not enough.”