Waterlogged In City Life

26 August 2020, Kolkata, India ; Every year, waterlogging takes place in a large area of  identified some pockets in Sukia Street, Madan Mohan Burman Road, and Mahatma Gandhi Road where there is some technical problem and water takes reasonably longer time to drain out in comparison to some other parts of the city where water accumulates when there is reasonably heavy rainfall. Utility services of metro rail and water supply pipeline underground acts as barrier to drainage infrastructure.

Many office goers were forced to walk as their vehicles were stranded in the middle of the road. Two-wheelers particularly had a tough time negotiating the water logged roads. However, the train services under the Eastern and South Eastern Railway have so far remained normal with most of the local trains (EMUs) running on time. Hand pulled rickshaw passes through a waterlogged street.

Given all these factors that cause waterlogging, it is quite certain that Kolkatans have to resign themselves to remaining under water after every heavy downpour for a few hours, at least in the immediate future.

Heavy siltation has drastically reduced the carrying capacity of the Hooghly river. Dredging is mostly perfunctory and even so, it is impossible to pump out the city’s storm water to the Hooghly when it gets swollen during high tide.

      - by Ayan Biswas