May 20: The public works department will soon undertake repair and reconstruction of underground drains in the city.

A PWD official said the underground drains in many areas — constructed to flush out rainwater quickly — have become clogged owing to accumulation of garbage and lack of maintenance because of the paucity of funds.

The drains in GNB Road, Lachit Nagar, Gandhibasti, Dakshin Sarania and Athgaon have been identified for the project.

“The underground drain in Lachit Nagar was cleaned in 2004 after residents complained that the clogged drain was causing artificial floods. They have now complained that the cleaning-up was not done properly and the drain has choked again. We have submitted a proposal to the government for cleaning and repair of the drain, including installation of a sluice gate at the Bharalu point,” the official said.

The cleaning drive of the Lachit Nagar underground drain was taken up in 2004, 18 years after it was commissioned in 1986.

The condition is the same in many parts of the city, where drains have not been cleaned since they were commissioned.

According to the official, the drains on GNB Road, Athgaon and Noonmati also need immediate maintenance.

The PWD has decided to lay underground drains in some other parts of the city like the Gauhati University campus, Adabari and stretches of the Zoo Narengi Road.

Sources said Governor Ajai Singh recently held a meeting with the PWD and asked the department to lay an underground drainage system at Jalukbari to prevent waterlogging on the GU campus and the road that leads to Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport.