BHUBANESWAR: Heavy rain since Tuesday night caused water-logging in several parts of Bhubaneswar and affected normal life across the city on Wednesday morning.
The brief spell of rain at regular intervals also exposed shoddy monsoon preparedness in the Smart City that had been adjudged fourth-best State Capital in the Ease of Living Index released by the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) last week.
Residents were left to fend for themselves as drain-water gushed in through their houses in Nayapalli, Behera Sahi and other residential areas.
A flood-like situation occurred at Chintamaniswar area of the city where water started overflowing drains in the morning.
With the drainage system of the city proving ineffective, most of the low-lying areas in the city remained inundated in the stormwater for hours. The perennial problem of waterlogging also gripped Acharya Vihar, Bomikhal, Rasulgarh, Old Town, Bhimatangi and many other parts.
People who stepped out of home for marketing during the relaxation period of the lockdown were seen wading through knee-deep water on the approach roads to reach markets in many parts of the city.
The usual sight of urban flooding on NH 16 and its service road in front of Iskcon temple at Nayapalli during monsoon also resurfaced after the early morning showers.
Vehicles were seen negotiating with waist-deep water on the service road of the NH as the stretch remained water-logged for more than an hour. Apart from Iskcon road, most parts of Gajapati Nagar in Ward no -12 also remained water-logged till 8.30 am.
"The residential area remained flooded as internal drains in the locality continue to remain chocked. Besides, there is unauthorised construction over drains everywhere. We have flagged the issue several times. However, the civic body is yet to act," said BK Dash, a resident from the locality.
At least eight complaints related to water-logging were received by the multi-agency control room of the civic body.
BMC drainage division engineer Goutam Chandra Das said that pump sets were used in at least 14 low-lying areas of the city to clear water logging.
"We have already deployed pump sets in 27 vulnerable points of the city that are prone to water-logging," Das said.
BMC officials claimed that the water-logging problem was addressed immediately as they had carried desiltation of the 10 major strom water drainage channels on a priority by mid-June.
The Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre officials said around 78 mm precipitation was recorded at in the state Capital till 7 am. They said thundershower and rainfall activities are likely to continue in the city this week.
Locals said as more rain is expected in the coming days, things may turn worse if the encroachments are not cleared.