While lakhs of city residents are struggling to get respite from waterlogging for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, irate residents of Ward-48 made city Mayor Meenakshi Behera to walk through knee-deep water in their area to make him have a feel of their sufferings.
After heavy downpours during last 48 hours and incessant rains on Tuesday, residents in the low-lying areas of Mahanadi Vihar, Sikharpur and Kaliabuda are having a horrendous experience as waters have entered into their houses. Despite repeated pleas, the Cuttack Municipal Corporation has not been able to clear the waters.
Angry residents pointed out that the civic body had sent two defunct water pumps, and when the Mayor visited the area in morning, they made her to wade through knee-deep water.
“We have deployed over 270 water pumps in the entire city to remove the accumulated waters,” Behera said, adding that efforts are being made to provide cooked food to the affected residents.
The city received over 300 mm of rainfall during the past 48 hours with the drains overflowing either due to less carrying capacity or due to choking due to the ongoing JICA-funded sewerage and drainage projects, which are continuing for the past four years.