Water accumulates in city streets after rain but recedes fast

: Vast areas in the city were inundated following heavy to very heavy rain since Saturday evening.

However, water started receding from the streets since late afternoon when the intensity of rain dropped.

Traffic movements in the areas where most of the streets were under water was slow. Policemen were seen clearing traffic congestion braving the accumulated water.

As it rained heavily in the morning during the peak office hours in North and Central Kolkata, office and school-goers were greatly inconvenienced.

Mayor Sovan Chatterjee, who monitored the operation to clear the accumulated water from city streets assured the people that the situation is fully under control and said: "KMC will not allow the residents to face the situation like the great Mumbai deluge some years ago." Chatterjee visited the Hooghly river bank to oversee the steps taken by KMC to combat waterlogging.

Chatterjee said as it had rained very heavily in some areas, roads had been waterlogged.

"The underground pipes have a stipulated capacity and if it rains more, there will be waterlogging but the duration of waterlogging will be less than previous years," he said.

Because of the timely intervention of the KMC, water had receded in most of the areas. However, there was waterlogging in some low lying areas and portable pumps had been deployed to clear the roads.

Traffic between Park Circus and Eastern Metropolitan Bypass was affected because of waterlogging on both the flanks between Tiljala and Science city. There was waterlogging on Mahatma Gandhi Road, parts of College Street near Thanthania Kalibari, Raja Rammohan Sarani, Keshab Sen Street and stretches on Chittaranjan Avenue in North Kolkata. Govinda Khatik Road and Kulin Khatik Road and its adjoining areas in East Kolkata was waterlogged. Waterlogging also affected the adjoining areas of Ultadanga and Patipukur underpass.

The worst-hit places were the vast areas under wards 125 and 126 in Behala. There was knee-deep water in Silpara and its neighbourhood, Sarsuna, Sakuntala Park, Oxytown and Shibrampur. Stretches on James Long Sarani were under water too. There was waterlogging in Taratala and its neighbourhood.

Sovan Chatterjee said work for a comprehensive plan worth Rs 300 crore to clear the accumulated water from Behala is on. He said all the pumps that clear accumulated water in the city are functioning. As the underground drains had been cleaned and strengthened, the water carrying capacity of the underground pipes have gone up and that has resulted in clearing of accumulated water from the streets faster.