Bhubaneswar: Monday evening’s heavy downpour turned the ‘smart city’ into a slushy landscape with the weatherman registering a rainfall of 79 mm.
Normal life came to a standstill after several low-lying areas were waterlogged following heavy rain accompanied by thunderbolts. The rain, which started around 5pm, continued for around two and a half hour, but it was enough to inundate the roads.
Posh areas like Acharya Vihar, Jaydev Vihar, Krishna Tower and Shastri Nagar were inundated. Commuters had a harrowing time wading through knee-deep rain-water in places like railway station, Iskon temple road, Rasulgarh flyover road and Palasuni.
The people had a tough time running for cover and several took shelter under the flyovers near Jaydev Vihar, Rasulgarh, Vani Vihar and Acharya Vihar. They were all stranded for long due to incessant rain.
The heavy flow of water through lanes and by-lanes forced many locals to stay indoors. Although rain subsided later, the residents were apprehensive about floods as the monsoon may lash the city more vigorously any time.
As the rainwater entered the drains and potholes, the vehicular movement became an arduous task in the city. The traffic was in disarray after the rain stopped as the vehicles suddenly started moving.
“A little rain can wreak havoc in the city. Although we boast ourselves as citizens of the Smart City, the residents are deprived of proper drainage system,” said Krushnarani Behera, a resident of Acharya Vihar.
Rati Ranjan Das, a resident of Palasuni, said, “When I was returning from office, I saw that the road from Rasulagarh to Palasuni square was inundated with rain water. No one could distinguish between the drains and the road.”
Most of the coastal and northern parts of the state witnessed good rains for a month. Despite continuous showers, the state received 8 per cent deficit rainfall so far, said Bhubaneswar meteorological centre director Sarat Chandra Sahu.
Some interior and southern districts adjoining Chhattisgarh have not received adequate rainfall. There was rain in almost all coastal areas in the state including a few interior regions in the past 24 hours. Extremely heavy spells to the tune of 95 mm were recorded in Paradip.
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