Kolkata: In large parts of central Kolkata, residents and commuters continued to grapple with waterlogging even 16 hours after Monday evening’s downpour. The affected areas had received between 70mm and 90mm of rain in an hour — between 8pm and 9pm — on Monday. However, residents said they could not recall stormwater remaining on the roads for such a prolonged period in recent times.Several areas in and around Amherst Street, Keshab Chandra Sen Street, Thanthania, Sukeas Street, College Row and Sitaram Ghosh Street remained inundated till late Tuesday evening. It was a nightmare for pedestrians because some of the lanes and streets had been dug up and not paved properly. Passersby had to step cautiously on the waterlogged streets as any false step could lead to a fall. Besides Amherst Street and its adjacent roads, residents of Dum Dum, Belgachhia, Ultadanga, Maniktala and Beleghata also suffered due to inundation.Sources in the KMC sewerage and drainage conceded that the torrential rain posed a serious challenge to the civic body’s infrastructure. “We were not prepared for the sudden cloudburst. In certain north and central Kolkata pockets, the rainfall exceeded the 100mm mark. We were caught unaware and thus it took hours to give citizens relief from waterlogging,” said a KMC drainage department official.Prasenjit Ghosh, a resident of Sukeas Street, shared his ordeal of reaching his home on Monday night. “I had to leave my car on APC Road and walk through waist-deep water to reach my home. I had to tread very carefully as the roads were uneven. I feel the water stayed this long since a new govt has come to office and most of the work under KMC are not happening in its usual pace. Stormwater entered my house and receded late Tuesday afternoon, around 3:30 pm. On Tuesday morning, my wife took a hand-pulled rickshaw and went to APC Road where our car was kept. A rickshaw-puller also ferried a sick man to the doctor.”“I was not prepared for the sudden downpour. Stormwater entered my garage and was about to enter my chamber,” said a doctor who stays in a lane off Amherst Street.A KMC drainage department official later said the civic body would take preventive steps and try to reduce waterlogging in areas around Amherst Street next time. “We have detected an area that was primarily responsible for inundation of large parts of Amherst Street and the adjacent areas. We will set things right and hope to reduce waterlogging next time,” said the civic official.Further north on VIP Road, there was waterlogging on the service road at Haldiram’s. Those travelling through the stretch have already had to negotiate waterlogging multiple times this year.
