Monsoon rain leaves a street waterlogged in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, June 15: Residents of low-lying areas of the city faced waterlogging problems following incessant pre-monsoon rain since last night.

According to information available from the meteorological centre, the city has received a rainfall of nearly 65mm in the last 48 hours. Rainfall is expected to continue for at least another 24 hours.

Several low-lying areas, including Nayapalli Behera Sahi, Jayadev Vihar, Acharya Vihar, Bhimatangi, parts of Old Town, Jagamohan Nagar, Laxmi Sagar, Soubhagya Nagar, and Bermunda Housing Board, were inundated by rainwater.

“Waterlogging problem has spoiled the Raja festival as no one wants to go outside,” said Pitambar Behera, a resident of Nayapalli Behera Sahi.

Lack of proper drainage system has added to the woes of the citizens.

“Though we have approached the authorities several times in the past for linking the small drains with the main drainage system, nothing has been done as yet. With the advent of the monsoon, waterlogging problem will only aggravate,” said D.C. Mishra, a resident of Soubhagya Nagar.

Rainwater was overflowing on main roads near Power House Square and Exhibition Ground, causing problems for pedestrians and other commuters as well.

“We heaved a sigh of relief after yesterday’s rain, but waterlogging problems have made our lives difficult here,” said Nihar Satpathy, a local resident.

The waterlogging problem has forced two-wheeler riders to keep away from plying on the city streets.

“Though I have my own motorcycle, I would prefer to travel by autorickshaw or bus to avoid waterlogging conditions,” said Ajay Jena, another resident.

“We have already identified waterlogging-prone areas and chalked out a plan to tackle the problem. Desiltation of drains has also been almost complete,” said a senior officer of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation.