ROURKELA: Rourkela woke up to an unprecedented deluge on Thursday after torrential rain left large parts of the Steel City inundated, forcing the administration to evacuate more than 5,000 residents to safety.
The city received over 200 mm of rain in about 30 hours, triggering a flash-flood-like situation and exposing the poor drainage infrastructure. As the downpour continued, storm water entered more than 10,000 houses, submerging thousands of two-wheelers, three-wheelers and cars parked on residential premises, in parking lots and along roads.
With nearly 80 per cent of the city waterlogged, residents said they had never witnessed such flooding in Rourkela in its 72-year history. In several areas, the water rose to chest height, posing a serious threat to life and property. The administration subsequently shifted over 5,000 people to safer locations.
Incessant rain began lashing the city and its neighbourhoods on Wednesday night, intensifying into a torrential downpour on Thursday morning and continuing till afternoon. The deluge severely disrupted normal life, with vehicular traffic remaining stranded for hours on Rourkela Main Road, Mahtab Road, Ring Road, Bondamunda Road, Hanuman Vatika Road and other major stretches.
With storm water unable to drain out, neither affluent residential neighbourhoods nor slum pockets were spared.
Sundargarh collector Dr Subhankar Mohapatra visited several affected areas and took stock of relief and emergency measures. He said emergency relief was rushed to affected slum pockets. “By afternoon, over 5,000 food packets had been distributed to people. The administration was swiftly responding to the crisis,” Mohapatra told this paper.
Residents, meanwhile, complained of severe hardship after filthy storm water entered their houses, rising to nearly five feet in some areas and damaging household belongings and vehicles.
Naresh Agarwal, a resident of Civil Township, said at least 30 houses in the area near Rourkela Government Autonomous College were affected. Another resident, Rohit Agarwal, said the locality was flooded after storm water flowed back as the ISS pipelines failed to take the excess water.
Residents mobilised around 50 litres of diesel, following which WATCO field staff operated a pump set to drain the water. The situation improved after nearly four hours, Rohit said.
As the rain continued, storm water remained trapped as the drainage network of the Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) and ISS pipelines struggled to cope with the deluge.
Severe waterlogging was reported from GM and EM blocks of Basanti Colony, the area around Pluton Mall in Chhend Colony, PHED Colony, Panposh Basti, Jagannath Colony, Rourkela Main Road, Haryana Bhawan Lane, Lal Building area, Power House Road, Nala Road and the adjoining RDA Building Colony, Meena Pada and several other slum pockets.
Malgodam, Railway Colony, Telugupada, Rimjhim Basti, Rahmat Nagar, slum pockets near the second entrance of Rourkela railway station, parts of Basanti Colony and Chhend Colony, Bondamunda, Balughat and Dandiapali were among the worst-affected areas.
Mohapatra said a power sub-station at Panposh was affected and instructions had been issued to restore power and water supply at the earliest.
RMC commissioner Deenah Dastageer said revenue and RMC teams were engaged in flood relief operations, shifting affected residents to safer areas and arranging food for them.
In view of the emergency, the RMC cancelled all sanctioned leave of its employees until further orders. All officers and employees were directed to remain on alert and prioritise emergency response. No employee will be allowed to remain absent from duty without prior permission, it added.