Heavy rains throw life out of gear across Odisha

The perennial menace of urban flooding despite tall claims of improved drainage and town planning was evident yet again on Tuesday when a fresh spell of incessant rainfall triggered by a low-pressure system wreaked havoc across Odisha, inundating urban centres, submerging roads and bridges, and triggering mudslides.

- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE BHUBANESWAR, 2 SEPT:

In Balasore, residents had a nightmarish experience after heavy downpour from Monday night to Tuesday morning left major roads deluged. Areas such as Nuasahi, Telenga Sahi, Balia, Gudipada, and Congress Office Lane went under knee-to-waist-deep water, forcing commuters to wade through flooded streets. Several floors of shopping malls were under water.

Vehicular traffic was severely disrupted, and emergency services, including ambulances and LPG delivery vehicles, were stranded. Rainwater entered residential houses, business establishments, and even offices of the District Headquarters Hospital, compounding the crisis.

Angry residents, blaming municipal negligence and clogged drains, stopped the vehicle of the Sadar tehsildar and forced him to step out, demanding that officials experience the water logging firsthand. Locals alleged that despite crores spent annually on desilting drains, encroachments by shops and poor drainage facilities caused recurring water logging.