Devotees wade through ankle-deep water on the premises of a temple on Kachi Sarai Road in Muzaffarpur on Sunday. Picture by Lokesh Bihari

Waterlogging in several areas because of the Saturday night rainfall has exposed the lack of preparedness of Muzaffarpur Municipal Corporation ahead of the festive season.

A number of low-lying roads and streets, besides residential areas, went under water, inconveniencing thousands and hampering traffic movement.

Residents of Balughat, Paropokar, Sadpura and others had a torrid experience as lanes and bylanes were inundated following heavy downpour from around 11pm on Saturday. Water also gushed into more than 50 houses and residents were forced to come out.

“It was a hellish experience. We had to spend a sleepless night outside, as water had entered our homes,” said Shanti Prasad, a resident of Dhobiagali in Balughat.

Residents blamed the civic body for their plight. “The corporation has turned a blind eye to our problems. We pay all our taxes on time, including holding tax. Yet, waterlogging occurs after a bout of rain,” said Yashwant Kumar, a resident of Paropokar.

On Sunday, people had to wade through knee-deep water at the commercial areas like Sadar Hospital Road, Station Road, Motijheel Road and Devi Mandir Road.

Rambagh resident Sweta said she had to cover a long distance through drizzle and flooded streets to reach a temple at Kachi Sarai Road. Sources said the road leading to Kachi Sarai is flooded owing to blockages in the drains.

Angered at the poor civic amenities, the Town BJP MLA, Suresh Sharma, has demanded immediate action to drain out rainwater from the low-lying areas ahead of Durga Puja.

“Since a number of roads remain under water during monsoon, the corporation should press motor pumps into service to drain out the water,” said Balughat resident Umesh Kumar.

The Muzaffarpur Municipal Corporation commissioner, Sita Choudhary, said: “The civic body has deputed around 100 personnel to drain out rainwater from the low-lying areas. Two water outlets at Budhi Gandak and Fardo rivers have been encroached upon, creating trouble in draining out water. This has resulted into waterlogging in several roads and localities.”

He added: “To compound matters, some residents also dispose of garbage in open drains obstructing the flow.”

The commissioner, however, assured that cleaning of drainage outlets would be started in a day or two.