KOLKATA: With the regional Met office in Kolkata predicting heavy rain this weekend, those living along a large stretch of EM Bypass are keeping their fingers crossed. Thursday afternoon’s spell of rain made matters worse for residents of Mukudapur, Nayabad, Panchasayar and Madurdaha. Now, any further rain this weekend would spell doom for them.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation sewerage and drainage department officials offered no remedies, except arranging for portable pumps to flush out storm water from low-lying areas. “At present there is no drainage network in these areas. Storm water is yet to recede. Further rain could completely inundated these areas,” said a KMC drainage department official.
The KMC is planning to evacuate residents from areas off Bypass and Garden Reach-Metiabruz belt with help of disaster management department. “If need be we will rescue people from low-lying areas and take them to safer places,” said a civic official.
Mrinal Dasgupta, a retired government employee, had an appointment at a hospital near Mukundapur on Wednesday. But he had to cancel due to waterlogging. “I have got a fresh appointment on Saturday. But I don’t know what will happen,” Dasgupta said.
One of the worst-affected areas is Mukundapur Main Road that leads from Rabindranath Tagore Institute of Cardiac Sciences to Bypass. “Rain on Wednesday afternoon added to our misery. I don’t know when situation will improve,” said Narayana Health regional director (east) R Venkatesh. The situation is a fallout of rampant filling of wetlands in the belt, unplanned development, inadequate focus on infrastructure and slack maintenance. A drainage plan under Phase II of Kolkata Environment and Infrastructure Improvement Project can solve this problem.
