Bhubaneswar: Rain-induced misery continued for Bhubaneswar with the city going under water, forcing residents to wade through chest-deep water on Saturday.

The situation was worst at Nayapalli, Old Town, Soubhagya Nagar, Surya Nagar, GGP Colony, Rasulgarh, Damana, Patia, Siripur, Pokhariput, Dumduma, Forest Park, Ganga Nagar, Nuasahi, Acharya Vihar, Vani Vihar, VSS Nagar, parts of Unit-VIII, Gadakana, Shastri Nagar, Unit-IX, Unit-III and Unit-II. The area in front of the Iskcon Temple on NH-5 was again clogged as several cars were stuck in the water and disrupting traffic.

"We have lost faith in the administration. They proved that they are good for nothing," said Pratik Moharana, a shopkeeper in the area.

Bhubaneswar received 212.9mm rainfall between 8.30am on Friday and 5.30pm on Saturday.

The hours-long rain, induced by a depression over the Bay of Bengal, started on Friday night and continued for a brief period till late on Saturday evening. Apart from residents of low-lying areas, who have become accustomed to regular waterlogging, those living in the upper catchments also bore the brunt. Many were seen fuming over the civic authorities' lack of preparedness despite claims to the contrary.

"The situation is crossing the limits of tolerance. Those people are calling it a smart city, but nothing is smart here. The authorities have failed to put up a proper drainage network, resulting in such a pathetic situation. It is a testament to their lack of vision," said Dibakar Jena, a resident of Nayapalli.

Acharya Vihar resident Bhagabat Pradhan said they were aware of the outcome of such heavy rains and were ready to tackle situation themselves, instead of depending on civic officials. "It would have been foolish to depend on the officials after such incidents," said Pradhan, a schoolteacher.

Tourism minister Ashok Panda, on the other hand, attributed the flood-like situation to encroachment over drains and blamed vested interests for not allowing the authorities to remove those.

The Met centre's prediction of a well-marked low pressure area over northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining Bengal and Odisha coasts concentrating into a depression on Saturday has caused further concern among Bhubaneswar residents. The Met has predicted that it would intensify into a deep depression by Sunday.

Besides, the southwest monsoon also remains active, adding to rainfall activities in Odisha. "We have informed the authorities about the weather pattern and asked them to be ready to tackle any possible urban flooding or general flooding situations in any parts of the state," said a Met scientist.