Heavy rains expose municipal lapses, citizens suffer

Waterlogging in various settlements, water enters many houses in several colonies

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The onset of monsoon in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar has exposed the lack of preparedness of the municipal corporation in dealing with heavy rains. Despite the municipal administrator G Sreekanth's call for pre-monsoon measures, the first hour of rain on Sunday evening caused waterlogging in various settlements and entered many houses in several colonies. The fire department and mechanical department of the municipal corporation had to use their vehicles to pump out the water.

The heavy rain started at 4:15 pm and continued for about an hour. If the rain had been a little heavier, it would have met the criteria of heavy rain. The waterlogging caused damage to many household items, and in some areas, the water entered houses up to three feet. The wall of the bridge of the drain at Katkat Gate collapsed, but a major accident was averted as the youths of the area acted in time. The fire department received a complaint of waterlogging in Vaishnavi Apartment at Kalda Corner, while a Gulmohar tree was uprooted on the main road beside the Shivajinagar railway gate before the rains started. The fire department quickly removed the tree, and traffic started smoothly.

In another incident, a furniture company caught fire in the MIDC Chikalthana area, but the fire department brought the fire under control. The municipal lapses have left citizens suffering, with many houses flooded in Pethenagar in Bhavsingpura area. A water pond was formed in front of the Vitthal-Rukmini temple in Ulkanagari, and the suction machine from the mechanical department had to be brought to pump out the water. The corporation's failure to take adequate measures before the onset of monsoon has led to citizens facing the brunt of the first heavy rains.