BHUBANESWAR: Monsoon rain that lashed the state capital on Monday evening caused waterlogging in multiple low-lying areas of the city including half a dozen slums. Traffic too, was disrupted along the service road of NH-16 near Iskcon temple causing inconvenience to commuters.
BMC sources said waterlogging was reported in Dhirikuti slum, Trinath basti, Nilakantheswar slum, Nandan Vihar Banaphool slum and a few others. Parts of Soubhagya Nagar, Laxmi Sagar, Bomikhal and Jagamara also reported waterlogging.
Apart from residential areas, arterial roads including the NH-16 service road near Iskcon temple too, remained flooded for nearly an hour affecting vehicular movement on the route. Residents blamed the situation on encroachment, poor drainage system and clogging of drains.
Meanwhile, a major mishap was averted after a woman, who fell into a drainage hole along the NH-16 service road, managed to get out of it. Several people were seen wading through waist-deep water on the road as drainage system faltered despite recent desilitation work carried out by the NHAI and BMC.
NHAI officials said around 70 to 80 metre of drain near the NH on the Iskcon side is blocked owing to which water is being diverted to the other side of the road through a siphon. Nonetheless, it is proving inadequate, they said. Till a plan is worked out, a pump will be commissioned on the stretch to speed up dewatering, an NHAI official said.
He informed that the previous desiltation helped them in clearing water from the road immediately after rain.
BMC officials also said the drainage issue near Iskcon will be resolved only after the proposed plan of a connecting drain from the temple to Vani Vihar is materialised. They, however, said only NHAI and R&B division could take up the project as the road does not fall in their jurisdiction.