Prayagraj: The Sangam City was drenched by its heaviest rainfall of the season in 24 hours, with 73 mm recorded from the night of Aug 16 to the morning of Aug 17, causing widespread waterlogging and disrupting normal life. The downpour submerged roads and lanes, particularly in old city areas, while joint teams of Kareli police and NDRF rescued more than 50 people trapped in their homes.The rain continued intermittently through Monday morning as the sky remained heavily overcast. Several parts of the city were waterlogged, with clogged drains worsening the situation.Kareli was among the worst-hit areas, where joint teams of local police and NDRF were deployed after reports of people being trapped in their homes. Houses and lanes were submerged following heavy rain and choked drains. SHO (Kareli) Sachinand Singh told TOI, “Acting upon inputs of people being trapped in houses, joint teams of Kareli police and NDRF rescued more than 50 people to safer places.” He, however, said the majority of the people returned to their homes after the rainwater receded.The continuous rain led to waterlogging on roads and lanes across several areas, including Niranjan Dott Bridge, Georgetown, Tagore Town, Bairhana, Rambagh and Kareli. In many low-lying areas, rainwater entered homes, while clogged drains further aggravated the situation. In some places, water rose to nearly halfway up the wheels of cars and bikes.Met officials, however, said the spell of rain is expected to continue in the coming days. Since Monday morning, the city has witnessed intermittent rainfall amid heavily overcast skies.Meanwhile, the rising water levels of the Ganga and Yamuna have prompted district authorities to take preventive measures. On Monday, the water level of the Ganga at Phaphamau and Chhatnag rose to 79.47 metres and 78.15 metres, recording rises of 28 cm and 74 cm, respectively. The Yamuna at Naini rose to 78.58 metres after recording a 76-cm rise.Officials said they were maintaining a strict watch on the water levels and coordinating with people living in low-lying areas.
