Water gushes into houses, shops after rainfall in city

PATNA: Spells of rain over the last 36 hours in the city have inundated localities like Kadamkuan, Rajendra Nagar, Kankarbagh and Rajvanshi Nagar. The showers have also sent water gushing into many houses in Patliputra Colony.
According to the people living in the affected areas, it has become quite difficult for them to step out of their houses for buying essential commodities like milk or medicines.
Talking to this reporter on Monday, Patliputra Colony resident Amit Singh said his garden was submerged in water and if the rainfall continued, “it will enter my house as well”.
After receiving numerous complaints from the residents, Patliputra Cooperative Society secretary Rai Ajeet Prasad claimed that rainwater had also gushed into his house.
“We face the monsoon menace every year. Several houses are waterlogged because of the poor drainage system and it is difficult to walk on the streets,” Rai said.
Some locals also complained that delivery boys refused to enter the waterlogged localities.
Lohanipur resident Sonal Sinha said, “One of my orders was cancelled because my locality is waterlogged. I cannot even go out to buy what I need as the shops near my house are shut because of the lockdown.”
The city civic body, on the other hand, pointed out that the accumulated water was being removed.
Patna Municipal Corporation commissioner Himanshu Sharma told this newspaper, “While we have installed nearly 120 pumps with high capacity, the Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation has temporary pump stations in areas that are prone to waterlogging. These will soon be made permanent.”
Asked about the waterlogging menace that Patnaites face every monsoon, Himanshu replied, “A consultation agency has been hired by the government to study the existing drainage system. It will also analyse the rain pattern during the last few years and come up with a scientific drainage plan.”
PMC executive officer (Kankarbagh circle) S K Mishra said, “The speed at which the accumulated water is being removed may be slow in some areas, but it has improved a lot. Earlier, people would live amid waterlogging for days.”