Waterlogging: February showers wake-up call for civic body
TNN | Updated: Mar 1, 2019, 07:13 IST
Residents of large parts in Behala faced flooding on ThursdayKOLKATA: Kolkata remained waterlogged most of Thursday after incessant rainfall overnight.
The downpour, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) officials said, was more than the average daily rainfall in the worst monsoon month of July.
By 7am, KMC said it had recorded 73.9mm rainfall in Cossipore, 68.2mm in Alipore, 61.2mm in Ultadanga, 58.4mm in Patuli, 52.83mm in New Market and 47.5mm in Joka. The average daily rainfall even in the wettest month of monsoon is around 15mm, officials pointed out. “The rainfall has been very intense and continuous, even worse than monsoon days,” the officer claimed.
While water receded late afternoon, several patches in the city, including Kidderpore, Behala and stretches adjoining E M Bypass remained waterlogged till late evening.
Mayor Firhad Hakim said, “The waterlogging was due to a combination of factors. The most important, however, is plastics clogging the drainage outlets across the city. This was the biggest menace today.” Hakim said, “We are prepared for the monsoon. Unless there is a natural calamity, we hope waterlogging will not hit people in the monsoon.”
Apart from plastics, other factors that made Thursday worse were the high tide, which hit at 8:24am, and the above-normal rainfall, KMC sources said.
Sources said when the conservancy workers hit the streets across Kolkata after 6am, they couldn’t even work due to waterlogging and heavy downpour. “Early in the morning, conservancy department had to deploy their special gang units to clear the gully pits of plastic accumulation. This is arduous and they took a long time since it had to be done manually across the city. When the drainage system finally started to ease, the high tide arrived,” a KMC officer, who was monitoring the situation, said. At Palmer Bazar, Ballygunge, Dhapa Lock and Mominpore drainage pumping stations, several tonnes of plastic had to be segregated.
The sluice gates and the drainage outlets had to be locked during the high tide to stop reverse flow of water. This stopped the draining of water for a long time adding to the waterlogging woes.
The high tide along the Tolly Nullah had its impact in Kalighat, Chetla, Alipore and Kidderpore. It also had its effects on BBD Bag and Burrabazar areas.
After the high tide receded, heavy duty pumps were pressed into service at all the drainage pumping stations and in low-lying areas. Around 2pm, water finally started to recede in most parts of Kolkata.
The mayor claimed that the anti-plastic drive would continue across the city. “This will be done near households and even in market places. The conservancy teams have been told to keep a watch on this. This needs to be stopped forthwith,” he told reporters.
Hakim also said he hoped that the measures taken will help ease waterlogging in monsoon. “The drainage pumps are being checked and repaired. Everything will be fully functional before the onset of monsoons. Unless there is above normal rainfall, we hope there will be no waterlogging,” he added.
The downpour, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) officials said, was more than the average daily rainfall in the worst monsoon month of July.
By 7am, KMC said it had recorded 73.9mm rainfall in Cossipore, 68.2mm in Alipore, 61.2mm in Ultadanga, 58.4mm in Patuli, 52.83mm in New Market and 47.5mm in Joka. The average daily rainfall even in the wettest month of monsoon is around 15mm, officials pointed out. “The rainfall has been very intense and continuous, even worse than monsoon days,” the officer claimed.
While water receded late afternoon, several patches in the city, including Kidderpore, Behala and stretches adjoining E M Bypass remained waterlogged till late evening.
Mayor Firhad Hakim said, “The waterlogging was due to a combination of factors. The most important, however, is plastics clogging the drainage outlets across the city. This was the biggest menace today.” Hakim said, “We are prepared for the monsoon. Unless there is a natural calamity, we hope waterlogging will not hit people in the monsoon.”
Apart from plastics, other factors that made Thursday worse were the high tide, which hit at 8:24am, and the above-normal rainfall, KMC sources said.
Sources said when the conservancy workers hit the streets across Kolkata after 6am, they couldn’t even work due to waterlogging and heavy downpour. “Early in the morning, conservancy department had to deploy their special gang units to clear the gully pits of plastic accumulation. This is arduous and they took a long time since it had to be done manually across the city. When the drainage system finally started to ease, the high tide arrived,” a KMC officer, who was monitoring the situation, said. At Palmer Bazar, Ballygunge, Dhapa Lock and Mominpore drainage pumping stations, several tonnes of plastic had to be segregated.
The sluice gates and the drainage outlets had to be locked during the high tide to stop reverse flow of water. This stopped the draining of water for a long time adding to the waterlogging woes.
The high tide along the Tolly Nullah had its impact in Kalighat, Chetla, Alipore and Kidderpore. It also had its effects on BBD Bag and Burrabazar areas.
After the high tide receded, heavy duty pumps were pressed into service at all the drainage pumping stations and in low-lying areas. Around 2pm, water finally started to recede in most parts of Kolkata.
The mayor claimed that the anti-plastic drive would continue across the city. “This will be done near households and even in market places. The conservancy teams have been told to keep a watch on this. This needs to be stopped forthwith,” he told reporters.
Hakim also said he hoped that the measures taken will help ease waterlogging in monsoon. “The drainage pumps are being checked and repaired. Everything will be fully functional before the onset of monsoons. Unless there is above normal rainfall, we hope there will be no waterlogging,” he added.
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