LUCKNOW, Nov. 10 -- Diwali brought an additional burden of firecracker waste and festive garbage to Lucknow, but the city's waste collection system struggled to keep pace as sanitation workers went on leave, leaving garbage accumulated at key locations across the city and reducing the quantity of waste reaching the Shivri processing plant by nearly 44% on November 9.

The Shivri facility received only 1,126 metric tonnes on Monday through 132 vehicles. This marked a shortfall of 874 metric tonnes against its normal daily intake.

An official of Lucknow Swachhta Abhiyan (LSA), one of the private agencies handling sanitation operations in the city, told Hindustan Times on condition of anonymity that around 150 workers remained on leave on N...