A biker wades through water at Kankerbagh in Patna on Tuesday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Patna, Aug. 9: When the residents of Kankerbagh woke up this morning, they found that their neighbourhood had undergone a metamorphosis overnight. The streets looked more like the canals of Venice.

It was an ironic situation for them: while the rain brought relief from the sultry weather, the residents of the area also had to struggle with waterlogging.

For, thanks to the incessant downpour since last night, the low-lying area, which has a history of waterlogging, was submerged.

Patna Meteorological department recorded 15.6mm rain till 8.30 this morning. While children enjoyed an unplanned off day from school, grown-ups found themselves stuck at home. Tenements were no haven, though. Water had entered the ground floor of many houses.

Residents also accused Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) of not taking timely steps to solve the problem that occurs every year.

Arun Kumar Sinha, a resident of Kanti Factory Road, woke up in the morning to find water all around his house.

“I woke up early because I had to drop my children to school. But I found water had entered my house. To add to the trouble, water was entering the house through the drains in the kitchen and bathroom as well,” he said.

Arun added: “This clearly shows the work the government does to clean the locality. My children could not go to school today. It is difficult for us to step out, and it is chaotic at home. The water on the street in front of the house is knee-deep. It is horrible. We have decided not to step out until and unless it is very important.”

Shailender Singh, a resident of Kankerbagh Colony, said: “It is true that rain brings relief from the sultry weather. However, for us, the rain is never a relief. It is always accompanied with the dreadful picture of waterlogging. As you can see, the roads are submerged. The garbage and silt from the roads are floating everywhere and even entering our houses. This is an open invitation to waterborne diseases.”

He added: “We don’t know what PMC has been doing. This is a regular problem and happens every year. However, the civic body does nothing about it.”

Civic officials have, however, assured that they were striving to bring the situation under control and the problem would be short-lived.

Anil Kumar, the executive officer of PMC, said: “The rain has been continuous since last night. We have made 20 pump sets available to drain out the water. The sump houses are also working non-stop. If the rain stops, the water can be drained out in one-and-a-half to two hours. The residents will not have to face the trouble for long.”

He added that the continuous downpour had made their job difficult. “By the time we clear some water, the situation is worsened by the rain. We are trying our best.”

Residents, however, were not satisfied with the best-efforts claim. They were disappointed as the downpour revealed yet again how unprepared the civic body was to deal with a crisis like this. In fact, the efforts to clear water from the streets, like opening manholes, created further problems for the residents.

Ravish Kumar, a resident of Bhootnath Road, said: “It becomes very difficult to go out in such a situation. You cannot walk or ride a bike, as there is the constant danger that you might fall into an open manhole. There are many open manholes and catchpits on the side of the roads. They are virtual death traps.”