Three upscale housing complexes stand next to each other along EM Bypass — Udita Housing Complex, Hiland Park, and Calcutta Greens. All three were flooded by torrential rain on September 23, but only Udita remained submerged until Thursday afternoon.
Water was finally drained from Udita after close to 56 hours, residents said.
Bowl in the Bypass
Udita is at a lower level compared to Hiland Park and Calcutta Greens, explained local Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) councillor Ananya Banerjee of Ward 109. “Even the service road that runs along the complexes is at a higher elevation.”
She said that water pumps were deployed at Udita from the first day, but “the canals in the area were overflowing and pushing back the water.”
Residents are aware of the housing complex’s topography. “Udita is like a bowl between EM Bypass and Canal Road. It’s also one of the oldest complexes in the area,” said Shakuntala Chanda, board member of the Udita Homeowners’ Association.
Their powerhouse, located on the ground floor, was flooded early on, cutting off electricity for 56 hours.
Former marshland
A senior KMC official pointed out that much of the land along EM Bypass was originally marshland, which acted as a natural drainage basin for large parts of the city.
“After high-rises and smaller houses came up, the land was filled, often without proper drainage planning,” the official said.
Neighbours recover
While Udita suffered, Hiland Park and Calcutta Greens recovered much sooner. “Our basement was inundated, but the water was drained out by Wednesday morning,” said Mina Basu of Hiland Park.
At Udita, 14 pumps were used to remove the water — four provided by the KMC and Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA), and 10 hired by residents.
“By Thursday morning, there was significant improvement,” said Debajyoti Konar, president of the homeowners’ association.
Evacuations
Several residents felt the initial civic response was slow.
With no electricity, scarce drinking water, and dirty floodwater everywhere, many chose to evacuate to hotels or friends’ homes by Wednesday.
“Life was almost impossible. Elderly residents, especially those on oxygen support or using medical equipment, were helpless,” said a resident.
Road design
Multiple residents alleged that clogged drains and poor road-level planning made the service road a contributor to the flooding. “Our problem got worse because water from the service road flowed into our premises,” said Konar.
A KMC official admitted the existing drainage system under the surrounding roads is proving inadequate.
“It became easier for us to clear water from Udita after the KMDA pumped water out from the service road,” Konar added.
An official from the KMDA, which built the area’s drainage network, said the flooding was made worse because the “highest flood level” of the Tollygunge-Panchannagram canal is higher than the road level of the surrounding streets. “The highest flood level is the height that water reaches during very heavy rain and flooding,” the official said.
Drainage fix
The KMC plans to overhaul the drainage system in the area under the Asian Development Bank-funded SHARP project (Sustainability, Hygiene and Resilience Project).
“Work will begin after Puja. New drainage lines will be laid and connected to the pumping station at Mukundapur,” said a KMC official.
Returning home
By Thursday evening, most residents had begun returning to their homes.
“I had to leave for a friend’s place in New Town on Wednesday evening because I couldn’t miss more work,” said Seema Sapru, principal of The Heritage School. “I returned on Thursday evening. Water had entered two rooms in my basement where I kept books and furniture.”
CESC had restored power to eight of the nine towers by Thursday evening, said Chanda. “Electricity is yet to be restored in one tower,” she said at 7.30pm.
However, the elevators were still non-functional. “Without them, the elderly can’t move,” Chanda added.