ROURKELA: Several parts of Rourkela faced an unprecedented waterlogging on Monday after the city was battered by heavy rains in the last 24 hours.
People of the affected areas endured four to nine hours of suffering as rainwater entered residential areas reportedly due to faulty drainage works by both the Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) and South Eastern Railway (SER). The city recorded 84 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours.
Sources said the second entrance of Rourkela station on the Railway Colony side was submerged in rainwater, heaping miseries on people visiting the railway station and residents of nearby low-lying pockets. Similarly, major portion of the Malgodown slum along the tracks was inundated due to clogging of the railway tunnel. Residents of Utkalpali and Saw Mill slums of Naya Bazaar area also faced the same fate due to clogging of the natural storm water drain.
Jagannath Colony between Chhend Basti and Birmitrapur railway line also remained inundated for several hours and the NHAI underpass near TCI chowk was submerged. While vehicular communication was disrupted, pedestrians were seen wading through waist-deep water on the route. A portion of the Gandhi Road, Machhli market behind the new bus stand, Panposh Basti, DAV pond site of Basanti Colony, Dandiapali, various points of Rourkela main road and Mahatab road also faced waterlogging woes.
Normalcy returned gradually with RMC cleaning the clogged drains to allow passage of the accumulated rainwater. A portion of the boundary wall of Rourkela Steel Plant was broken and the ring road dug up to speed up evacuation of rainwater near Kachra Pulia point to the natural storm water drain passing across RSP’s boundary.
While returning to Sundargarh from Bonai, district collector Manoj S Mahajan visited some of the affected areas of Rourkela and reviewed the restoration efforts with ADM and RMC commissioner Ashutosh Kulkarni.
Convenor of Basti Suraksha Samiti and BJD leader Biren Senapati blamed the inaction of RMC for the waterlogging situation and said no special drive was taken up before the monsoon to clean the major storm water drains.
Former planning member of Rourkela Development Authority (RDA) RM Mishra said the administration needs to find out the choke points of natural storm water drains and strictly avoid any deviation from the drainage master plan.
Incidentally, 11 storm water drains were constructed in the city at a combined cost of around `110 crore around 30 months ago. It is being alleged that these drains were narrowed or left incomplete at several points by deviating from the master plan.