Poor preparedness apart, what led to sever waterlogging in the Twin City of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack besides the coastal town Puri was heavy rainfall triggered by a low pressure in North-West Bay of Bengal.
Official statistics indicated that Bhubaneswar experienced the highest rainfall of 180.6 mm on a single day after Phailin Cyclone in 2013 when the city had recorded 184 mm on October 13.
The Capital had received a record rainfall of 364 mm on October 30, 1999 during the Super Cyclone. Jatni received 255 mm rainfall while Balianta and Khurda received more than 180 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours.
Cuttack city recorded 211 mm rainfall which is that highest after 2007, the year that brought a nightmarish experience for the residents. It had received a record 437 mm of rainfall in less than 36 hours which include 330 mm in 24 hours on August 5. The Silver City had recorded 175 mm rainfall on October 30, 1999 and 80 mm on October 13, 2013 during Super Cyclone and Phailin respectively.
With 322 mm rain in 24 hours, Puri has recorded highest rainfall in its history on Saturday. The coastal town had experienced 77 mm on October 29, 1999 and 242 mm on October 30, 1999 during Super Cyclone followed by 52 mm on Oct 12, 2013 and 130 mm on Oct 13, 2013 during Phailin. Special Relief Commissioner Bishnupad Sethi said after Super Cyclone and Phailin, Bhubaneswar has received highest rainfall in the recent times.
Though Cuttack had recorded 330 mm on a day in 2007, Bhubaneswar had received 170 mm rainfall that day, he said and claimed that more rains in less time triggered waterlogging in the Capital.
Sources said the capacity of drains of Bhubaneswar is to hold around 100 mm of rain water and due to encroachments and poor maintenance, the capacity has reduced to less than 60 mm. It means if it rains continuously for half an hour, the city is vulnerable to flooding. A few days back, it had received 155 mm in 30 hours leading to flooding in several low-lying areas.