LUCKNOW, May 16 -- Overflowing drains near hospitals, parks and residential areas have exposed lapses in Lucknow Municipal Corporation's pre-monsoon sanitation drive, with several internal nullahs still choked with waste and sewage.

Despite crores being spent annually on drain cleaning and monsoon preparedness, several small and internal nullahs in residential and commercial areas remain clogged with sludge, plastic waste and stagnant sewage water. The worsening condition of these drains has raised concerns over possible waterlogging and the spread of vector-borne diseases ahead of the monsoon season.

A visit by HT found one of the most serious situations behind the Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences in Gomti Nagar, wher...