Bhubaneswar, Aug. 19: A heavy downpour in the afternoon threw vehicular traffic in the city out of gear with major roads getting waterlogged.
The skies opened up suddenly this afternoon after two days of clear weather. Heavy rain, accompanied by wind, lashed the city for nearly two-and-a-half hours. Such was the intensity of the rain that roads overflowed with water and drains got choked.
While Bhubaneswar received 31.7mm rainfall, Cuttack's share was 75mm. A Met department official said the rain was a sign of southwest monsoon being active in Odisha and a trough line had been formed over the state.
"In the next four days, heavy rainfall may take place at many places in the state," he said.
Waterlogging was severe on major roads such as Janpath, Sachivalaya Marg, Vidyut Marg, national highways 5 and 203. These roads also witnessed traffic jams at many places.
The low-lying areas on the city outskirts that regularly get waterlogged also went underwater following the downpour. Commuters were the worst sufferers.
"The intensity of the rain was such in the first one hour that motorists found it difficult drive. Besides the stretch in front of the gurudwara at Kharavela Nagar was completely submerged with plastic crates and bags floating in knee-deep water," said Satya Swaroop Prusty, a commuter.
At Bomikhal on the NH-203, commuters faced a lot of problems due to rainwater accumulation. But, the NH-5 outside the Iskcon temple at Nayapalli was a greater mess.
Residents complained that even though there was no rain for the past two days, the portion of the road outside the temple remained waterlogged.
Lack of drainage channel and faulty drainage system have been causing the problem, said a local resident. Traffic jams on this stretch continued throughout the greater part of the say today.
"We have been complaining to the authorities, but in vain. People think it's the temple's fault, but the fact is that the NH authorities first made a mess when they constructed the drain. Now, other constructions on the drainage line are blocking the flow of water," said Radhakrishna Das, public relation officer of Iskcon, Bhubaneswar.
In June, residents had blocked the road to protest against waterlogging. At that time, the authorities, including the mayor, had assured the residents of looking into the matter.
While the NH officials could not be contacted for their views, a Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation official said a new drainage line was being constructed to help remove water from the area.
