Not a holiday: Schoolchildren brave the downpour to attend classes in Patna on Tuesday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Patna, Aug. 9: Residents of the city got the rain they had been praying for. But it was not an unmixed blessing. Along with the downpour came waterlogged streets, traffic problems and cancellation of flights.

Till 5.30 in the evening, the Met department recorded 41.7mm rain. Banka and Rafiganj were the wettest places in the state, with 80mm rain in both the places over the past 24 hours.

Those who had to fly out of or arrive in Patna also found the elements to be plotting against them. Sources at Patna airport said IndiGo’s Bangalore-Calcutta-Patna-Lucknow flight 6E 341 was delayed by an hour and a half because of the weather. It was supposed to arrive at 10.45am. Trains, however, ran without trouble, though the tracks at Patna Junction were submerged. “The rain did not affect the movement of trains in this region. We have not received any report of trains running late today,” said R.K. Singh, public relations officer, Danapur division.

The overcast morning was pleasant. But the pleasure did not last long. Schoolchildren were the first to encounter the trouble that usually accompanies downpour in our city. Many hitched a ride to the bus stops on the shoulders of their parents, as the streets were flooded.

“We did not have the morning assembly today, as the ground was under water. We prayed in class, and were not allowed outside for PT (physical training) or during the free periods,” said Alabh Krishna, a student of Loyola High School. He added that while returning home, his school bus was caught in a traffic snarl, much to the discomfort of the students.

Inclement weather and the condition of the roads kept most people at home. As a result, the number of passengers on the city ring route bus service was lower than other days.

“The number of passengers on most of our buses was very low compared to other days. Some vehicles also got stuck in areas that were waterlogged,” said Kunal Sharma, the chief operations officer of Eden Transport — the private agency that operates the bus service.

Fewer commuters did not, however, mean that the roads were clear. Residents who had to go to work, too, braved the incessant downpour. On the road, many got stuck in traffic snarls.

Suresh Prakash, a bank employee, said he was ready to go to office by 9.30am but could not step out because of the shower. “As I was getting late for work, I finally started at 10am. However, I got caught in traffic snarls a number of times. I couldn’t drive my bike fast either as the roads were slippery. I arrived at office at 10.45am, nearly half-an-hour late than usual.”

A commuter waits near inundated railway tracks at Patna Junction on Tuesday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

The bank employee, however, prefers rain to hot and humid days. “I hope this continues for a while,” he said.

Suresh, and others like him, have something to look forward to, as according to the forecast of the weathermen, incessant downpour would continue for the next 48 hours. Districts, too, would get more than enough precipitation.

Abdul Sattar, the assistant professor of meteorology at Rajendra Agriculture University, Pusa, said the reason for this downpour was a cyclonic circulation over Jharkhand.

“Light to medium rainfall is expected across Bihar in the next 48 hours. While the districts of south Bihar would get medium to heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours, the districts of north Bihar would receive light to medium downpour,” said Sattar.

Not everyone would be pleased with this forecast. For, waterlogging fear lurks in it.

Today, New Market, Dakbungalow Road, Patel Nagar, Kankerbagh, Anandpuri, Sabzibagh, Rajendra Nagar, Patliputra, Kadamkuan, Rajiv Nagar and Hanuman Nagar were submerged. The downpour once again laid bare the decrepit condition of the city’s drainage system and exposed how the civic body could not deal with such situations.