Rains expose monsoon unpreparedness by Cuttack, Bhubaneswar civic bodies

Waterlogging creates problems for the residents of Rausapatna, Meria Bazar, Pithapur, and other areas in Cuttack following the rainfall activities. Similar was the scene in Bhubaneswar where rainwater accumulated on major streets and bylanes in different parts.

Several parts of the coastal areas of Odisha on Saturday experienced heavy rainfall activities, leading to waterlogging conditions in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. This year’s monsoon has brought a brief spell of rainfall, resulting in acute waterlogging conditions in several low-lying pockets in the twin cities.

Waterlogging creates problems for residents of Rausapatna, Meria Bazar, Pithapur, and other areas in Cuttack following the rainfall activities. Similar is the scene in Bhubaneswar where rainwater accumulated on major streets and bylanes in different parts. The condition was more acute near the ISKCON temple and other areas in the Capital city.

The waterlogging conditions in the twin city have exposed the lack of preparedness of Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) and Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) for the monsoon season.

The Mayor is always talking, but hardly ever does any work. He’s just in it for the publicity. We’re suffering because of the waterlogging, and it’s only going to get worse if it rains. It’s ridiculous that we have to buy food from restaurants whenever there’s waterlogging.

Bhubaneswar Mayor Sulochana Das said, “The waterlogging in front of the Commissionerate Police office is a major problem. We have called R&B engineers to review the situation and find a solution.”

Das said that earlier BMC had taken measures for prior desilting of drains ahead of monsoon. “But for several reasons, people are throwing waste in drains which are choking them. There is heavy flow in the Jayadev Vihar area and we are taking steps to resolve the issue at the earliest.”