KOLKATA: After rain ceased on Tuesday morning, water began to recede from various inundated areas in Kolkata. But the reverse happened in New Town and pockets of Salt Lake with water level continuing to rise even long after it had stopped raining.
The chocked Bagjola canal meant that water that was pumped into it flowed back into the township. The rising water level inundated water tanks in residential complexes, raising fear of water contamination. NKDA had to rush water tankers to several neighbourhoods. Most homes purchased drinking water from the market.
The water level in Bagjola canal that is usually at the 1.8-metre level has increased to 3.18 metres, triggering the crisis. In the past, the maximum level that the water has risen to is 2.5 metres.
Sukhobrishti, the largest housing complex in New Town, is under knee-deep water. “The situation is absolutely terrible. Water has seeped into elevator ducts. There are families with dialysis patients who have had to wade through the water to go to the hospital.
Since we depend on delivery boys, who are now refusing to come, many people are simply stranded,” said Sukhobristi housing complex cultural secretary Mainak Kanrar.
At Maple Hiland Woods, the situation is no different. “Residents are unable to move out. We tried to pump out the water from the complex basement but were unable to do so because the road in front is inundated,” said resident Kunal Dhar Sharma.
The plight of residents was similar in several complexes and cooperative apartments in New Town Action Area 1A, 1B and 1C. Even residents who had been staying in the showpiece township for a decade now said they had never witnessed a situation such as this.
Prolonged power cuts added to the residents’ woes, particularly in high-rises where lifts did not function. The power utility switched off supply to prevent electrocution. In complexes that did not have power backup, pumps could not be operated leading to water crisis in bathrooms.
“We have not had power for 24 hours. My cellphone battery had drained. I drove around in the car while recharging the phone,” said Samir Gupta, a resident of New Town CE Block who is also the secretary of New Town Citizens Welfare Fraternity.
Kaustav De, a resident of BA block, wondered how New Town claimed to be a smart township when basic drainage infrastructure was inefective. “Water has not receded even 12 hours after rain has stopped. Many had to purchase drinking water from outside,” he said.
“We arranged for about 150 number of 20-litre mineral water jars which residents across several localities bought by paying as there was no electricity in their complex,” said Samaresh Das, chairperson of New Town Forum and News (NTFN), an umbrella organization of residents forum in New Town.
“We are issuing advisory to all to fully pump out stored water from underground reservoirs where the filthy water has entered. A doctors’ team has also been kept ready. We will give water purifiers for free from our medical centres,” said an NKDA official.
In Salt Lake, block localities like HB, IA, FD, GD, AE and BF were still under ankle-deep water on Tuesday morning. Workers of Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation also cleaned chocked drainage lines. BMC board of administrators chairperson Krishna Chakraborty said a survey will be conducted to find out which places have been witnessing most waterlogging this year.
