Heavy rainfall floods several low-lying areas in Cuttack

Cuttack: Heavy rainfall disrupted life in Cuttack on Monday, inundating many low-lying areas.
The stretch from Gandarpur Gurdwara to Jobra Durga Mandap on the ring road was waterlogged, stalling traffic movement for more than four hours due to its proximity to the Kathajodi river and the area being lower than the normal road height.
Pedestrians had to wade through knee-deep water on the stretch.Commuters were stranded on the road and they alleged the laxity of the authorities had resulted in such a situation. The submerged road proved difficult to navigate for bike and car riders.
“I had a meeting at Ranihat. I took my car but the stretch was completely submerged. After getting stuck for more than 45 minutes, I had to go back to OMP Square to reach Ranihat, as there was severe traffic congestion due to waterlogging,” said Rayashree Satyaranjan Nayak, a resident of Mahanadi Vihar.
Nayak alleged the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) has failed to clean the drains in the area resulting in waterlogging.
Another affected area was the 2.3-km stretch from Bajrakabati to Buxi Bazar, which was also submerged. Many vehicles were stuck on the road due to waterlogging.
Soumendu Pani, a resident of Professor Pada, said the small channel drains were not connected to the main box drain on the stretch, causing rainwater to flood the road.
“Hours after the rain stopped, the stretch remained waterlogged,” added Pani.
The condition was similar in low-lying areas like Telenga Bazar, Meria Bazar and Stewartpatna. Residents of Mansinghpatna, Rover’s Street, Alisha Bazar, Gahmandia and Patapole were also affected by waterlogging.
Cuttack mayor Subhash Singh acknowledged the situation, stating, “It was raining heavily so some areas were affected. We have installed 280 pumps, including 20 high-powered ones, to drain out water.”
He said a team had been engaged to monitor waterlogging problem across the city and they had received complaints. The mayor assured that more pumps would be installed in those areas to address the problem.