Times News Network
Kanpur: Around 10 kutcha houses collapsed in Ravi Nagar locality of Jajmau following heavy rain on Tuesday evening, triggering panic among residents and prompting a large-scale rescue operation by the district administration, Fire Brigade and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).Though initial reports suggested that more than two dozen people were trapped under the debris, all of them were later rescued safely and no casualty was reported.The rescue operation was carried out under the supervision of Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Deepak Sharma, who rushed to the spot immediately after receiving information about the incident. Fire personnel from the Jajmau fire station, along with additional fire tenders and the department’s specialised Multi Disaster Rescue Vehicle (MDRV), were deployed to the affected locality.Sharma said the rescue teams found the area heavily inundated, with rainwater accumulating to dangerous levels. Several families, including children, pregnant women and elderly residents, were stranded inside their houses as floodwater entered the locality rapidly.“The rescue teams evacuated all trapped residents to safer locations. Every affected house and the surrounding area were thoroughly searched to ensure that no one was left behind. All residents have now been shifted to safe places and there has been no loss of life,” Sharma said.He added that the water level in the locality was extremely high when the rescue operation began but gradually started receding. To expedite the drainage of stagnant water, the Kanpur Municipal Corporation (KMC) deployed a JCB machine to clear the blocked drainage channel and restore the flow of water.Residents alleged that the water level rose so rapidly that they had little time to react. They said their first priority was to rescue children and elderly family members, but before they could salvage household belongings, rainwater flooded the rooms, damaging furniture, clothes, food grains and other essential items.One of the affected residents blamed the flooding on an allegedly blocked drain in the locality. According to the resident, encroachment or obstruction of the drain prevented rainwater from flowing out, resulting in severe waterlogging that eventually weakened the kutcha structures, leading to their collapse.The incident once again exposed the vulnerability of low-lying settlements in Jajmau during the monsoon season and raised questions over the maintenance of drainage infrastructure in the area.Meanwhile, heavy rain also caused a portion of a road in Jajmau to cave in, disrupting vehicular movement for several hours. Traffic police diverted vehicles from the affected stretch while civic authorities initiated restoration work.The district administration is assessing the damage and monitoring the situation in the affected locality. Officials said relief measures would be extended to the affected families if required.Due to moderate to heavy rains in Kanpur South including Rama Devi, Shyam Nagar, Kidwai Nagar roads once again turned into lakes, canals and pools. Since the rains had held in the evening peoples returning from office face problems in reaching their homes.
