36 hours on, stagnant water stops life in tracks

KOLKATA: Lawyer Aslam Parvez, a resident of Ibraham Road in Kidderpore, has been under ‘house arrest’ since Monday. He couldn’t step outside as the road in front of his house has turned into a pool of stinking water. Worse still, his house has remained dark over the last 36 hours as power utility men have not been able to rectify the cable fault.




The situation has remained identical for many households across Kolkata, from Behala in the west to Topsia in the east. Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) workers have been working round the clock the situation is far from under control.

“I have grown up seeing waterlogged streets during monsoon since my childhood. But this time it is really bad. I have heard that the KMC has undertaken a massive drainage upgrade project for our locality. But I still find that efforts lack sincerity,” Parvez alleged. A visit to Ibrahim Road on Wednesday revealed that even treatment at the only maternity home of the area (Kidderpore Maternity Home) has come to a halt as patients as well as the staffers are finding it difficult to wade through knee-deep water.

Similarly, the entire Ekbalpore Road on Wednesday resembled a river. Locals are upset as they have to wade through dirty water to offer a prayers at the Soloana Mosque. Sania Khatoon, a resident of Ekbalpore Road, expressed apprehension that diseases will spread fast if stormwater does not receded immediately. “Waterlogging in our area is responsible for enteric diseases. When will the civic authorities learn from their mistakes?” asked Khatoon.

Like Kidderpore and Ekbalpore, large stretches of Behala are also suffering the same trauma even though Wednesday remained largely sunny. Among the worst-hit areas, Silpara tops the list, followed by Bhattacharjeepara. Debarpan Hazra, a Class VII student and a resident of Bhattacharjeepara, is wading through waterlogged street with his mother Barnali over the last two days to attend school. “People get relief from heat, but we keep our fingers crossed at the onset of monsoon. Stepping out of the house become a challenge. My son finds it an uphill task to attend school after a heavy downpour,” Barnali said.

Rokeya Begum of Silpara also finds it difficult to visit a doctor’s chamber after flooding of streets. “We can’t consult a doctor in the locality or take a patient to hospital as ambulances refuse to ply in our area,” Begum said. Similar grievances were aired by a section of residents in Tiljala-Topsia and Picnic Garden areas. Some stretches of Kushtia and Picnic Garden are still flooded with no signs of stormwater receding. Amin Salauddin, a resident of Picnic Garden, complained of civic inaction in desilting the clogged sewer lines.