Incessant rain over the past five days has plunged Chapapukur and adjacent areas near Basirhat in North 24-Parganas into chaos, with clogged drainage systems turning roads into canals and homes into flooded enclosures.

Residents, left with no choice, are using rafts made of banana plant stems to ferry schoolchildren and fetch essentials, including drinking water.

The situation remains grim even after a halt in the rainfall on Saturday.

Waist-deep water continues to inundate roads, lanes and homes in villages like Farsatpur-Daspara, which has emerged as one of the worst-affected areas.

The railway station premises at Chapapukur near Basirhat have been waterlogged for three consecutive days, making it nearly impossible for people to reach
the platform.

A waterlogged approach road near the Chapapukur railway station

“We are living in hell. Snakes and frogs have become our neighbours. There is waist-deep water inside my room. We’ve been forced to remain indoors, venturing out only on banana rafts to bring drinking water and basic supplies. The situation is unbearable,” said a homemaker from Farsatpur-Daspara in
Basirhat 2 block.

Several incidents of snakebites have already been reported from the submerged villages. With vehicles unable to ply, residents have improvised by building rafts to navigate the flooded lanes. Anger is mounting against the administration, which they accuse of negligence in maintaining and clearing the drainage system.

“This has become an annual ordeal during the monsoon. The drains are completely choked, and despite repeated appeals, no proper cleaning is done. Many stretches of the drainage channels have been illegally occupied by permanent structures, allegedly with the silent support of authorities,” said Bikash Sarkar, a resident.

However, Chapapukur gram panchayat chief Joya Das dismissed the allegations.

“We’ve already sent a proposal for carving out a canal to serve as a parallel drainage system. The district magistrate has approved it, and we are hopeful that work will start soon. Once completed, this will offer a permanent solution to the waterlogging crisis,” she said.

The approach road to the Chapapukur railway station on the Sealdah–Hasnabad section has become a major concern. The one-kilometre stretch connecting the station to Chapapukur Main Road — used daily by thousands — is submerged under knee to waist-deep water. Commuters are struggling to catch trains, as paddled and e-rickshaws refuse to ply on the flooded roads.

“The road has turned into a river. Wading through dirty water barefoot to catch a train is not only difficult but dangerous,” said Sayan Das, a regular commuter from Chapapukur.

“In the past four years, hardly any drain cleaning or maintenance work has been done. The administration and Eastern Railway remain indifferent,” said resident
Sajid Hossain.

Another commuter, Sujoy Saha, said: “The railways must reconstruct the road with proper drainage facilities.”

Joya Das echoed this demand. “We have requested the railway authorities to take up reconstruction of the road in the public interest,” she said.

Residents of Amlani under the Basirhat North Assembly segment blocked roads on Friday, demanding urgent repairs of a 3km stretch from Amlani More to Saraniya rail gate. They cast fishing nets on the waterlogged road as a mark of protest.

“We’ve repeatedly urged local Trinamool MLA Rafiqul Islam to repair the road, but nothing has been done. No maintenance work has happened in the past 30 years,” said Halima Biwi, a villager.

The villagers have warned that they may boycott next year’s Assembly election if the road is not repaired immediately.

Islam said: “Several meetings have been held, but no resolution has been reached yet because of disputes and land encroachments.