June 22: Residents today woke up to the absence of their morning newspapers and the sight of dirty floodwaters interspersed with floating shoes and debris, while the lanes and drains outside merged into one muddy river.

A single shower in the evening on Thursday and another in the morning today were sufficient to inundate several low-lying areas in the city in knee-deep water.

While the adults worried about wading across the water and venturing outside, the kids seemed quite happy for another opportunity to miss their classes.

A few even came out onto the streets to play in the water, smiles writ large on their faces.

These were the usual scenes in most of the affected areas, like Anil Nagar, Lachit Nagar, Chandmari, parts of Tarun Nagar, Nabin Nagar, Bhangagarh, Zoo Road Tinali, Chandmari and a few more.

Fortunately, the rainwater in areas like Zoo Road Tinali and Chandmari drained out after a few hours.

“I woke up to find that dirty water from the streets had entered my home. I was at my wits’ end, as I had to cook for my children before school. The kitchen was filled with water and I thought it best not to use the cylinder. Thank God the microwave came in handy or else would have left home on an empty stomach,” said Rita Bora, a resident of Anil Nagar.

It was definitely tough for people who had to move out to do their numerous chores.

Office-goers could be seen folding their trousers upto their knees, with shoes and bags in their hands and trying to wade through the knee-deep water cautiously, lest they slip and fall. Mothers were struggling to cross the water with school bags on one arm and their kids holding onto the other.

“I drove through the waterlogged streets on my two-wheeler, but no sooner had I reached the main road than my vehicle broke down as rainwater seeped into the silencer. I had to tow the vehicle to a garage nearby before it started again. I was late for office by half-an-hour,” said Sunil Sarma, a resident of Chandmari.

However, the flash floods today gave rickshaw-pullers a good opportunity to mint money. For a stretch on which they normally charge Rs 10, passengers today were charged Rs 30 or more.

“I usually walk to my workplace, which is a 10-minute walk from my home. But I had to take a rickshaw, as our lane was completely flooded in the morning. The rickshaw-puller flatly refused to take me if I did not pay up Rs 30 for that short distance,” said Suchitra Singh, a resident of Tarun Nagar.

The city residents should brace themselves for more of such flash floods, as weathermen have forecast more rain in the next couple of days.

“Today, the city received sufficient rainfall of nearly 4.4mm. More rainfall is definitely predicted in the next couple of hours and also the next few days,” said an official of the Regional Meteorological Centre.