Rain or no rain, a 200-metre stretch of Akshay Chatterjee Lane, near Salkia Chowrasta, in Howrah has remained underwater for the past three months.

Every time the skies darken, the Das family of 11B Akshay Chatterjee Lane knows it's time to shift their octogenarian mother to their sister's home in Babudanga.

"Our courtyard is submerged every monsoon and the stagnant water remains for days. But this year has been particularly bad. Water has just not receded in the past three months," Krishna Das said.

Krishna's brother-in-law, Prabir, shifted to his sister's home after he fell ill. "Walking around in the ankle-deep water has left him with a bad cold," she said.

Fever, diarrhoea and skin rashes have become common problems in the 500-odd households that have been submerged while the rest of the neighbourhood is bone dry.

Water spills onto the road in front of the Das home from the open drains on either side. When Metro visited the area, boys and girls were seen cycling their way through the waterlogged lane, an old resident waded through the murky water and a mother carrying a baby gingerly stepped into the dark pool.

"We have no choice but to step into this filthy water. Everyone here has bought gumboots, we prepare ourselves because this has been our fate for the past few years. This year is no exception, except that water has just not receded since July," said Manjit Singh, an interior designer who lives at 12/1 Akshay Chatterjee Lane.

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE...

The councillor of Howrah Municipal Corporation's Ward 7, Pampa Banerjee, seemed confused when asked about the predicament of the residents of Akshay Chatterjee Lane. "It is a low-lying area, so the water stagnates," she said, going on to add: "Actually, the road has become higher and the houses are on low ground."

Banerjee is, however, hopeful there could be an end to the suffering next year. "We couldn't do anything this year. But a pumping station will come up by next year to drain out the water. Land has been earmarked. The matter has been passed at the mayor-in-council meeting," she said.

Sources said the land in question has several encroachers. A banner has been put up at the site, declaring it to be the proposed location of the pumping station. Families who live on the plot have put up a clothesline next to it.

"What can we do? The land belongs to the corporation. These people are illegal settlers, if they don't move out, how will we start work?" Banerjee said when asked about the settlers.

Bhootbagan in Ward 50 of north Howrah shares a similar plight with water not receding till Puja in most years.

There is no concrete road here and hence no proper drainage. The Biradangi Khal Par Pocha Khal is exactly what the name suggests - a rotten canal. Its banks having been concretised only recently. The water from the canal inundates the area every monsoon.

"The road remains underwater for seven months a year. We use boats and rafts to commute when the water rises up to our waist," said Tinku Mandal.

Neighbour Manoj Singh, who shifted from Salkia to Bhootbagan, has been seeing the same situation for 10 years. "In Salkia, the water would recede in a few days but here it remains for months."

Councillor Trilokesh Mandal could not be contacted but Singh and Mandal said he has promised to build a road soon. "As soon as the road is made, a drainage system will be in place and the waterlogging will stop," Singh hoped.