Heavy rain wreaks havoc in 2 districts | Bhubaneswar News
Kendrapada: Three days of incessant rainfall has brought life to a standstill in Kendrapada and Jagatsinghpur districts, with severe waterlogging reported across multiple areas on Wednesday.The worst-affected regions include Pattamundai, Aul, Rajnagar, Rajkanika and Mahakalapada in Kendrapada district, along with Paradip, Kujang, Balikuda and Tirtol in Jagatsinghpur. Several low-lying villages are submerged as heavy rain continues to lash the region.Pattamundai residents are among the worst hit, with the downpour exposing the town’s crumbling infrastructure. “Roads are in a shambles, with small potholes turning into large craters, causing severe traffic congestion,” said Satyapriya Samal, a resident.The situation has been exacerbated by illegal construction on wetlands and canal-side areas. Prafulla Das, a retired teacher, alleged, “Revenue officials have been illegally converting wetlands, ponds and water channels into homestead lands for revenue collection.”In Paradip town, over 20,000 slum dwellers are facing dire conditions. “Open drains, potholes and unplanned structures have made life miserable,” said Prakash Kumar Mallick, a resident. Ward councillor Manoj Nayak pointed out that the lack of underground sewer lines has been a persistent problem for two decades.The Bagapatia rehabilitation colony, built eight years ago for sea-erosion affected villagers from Satabhaya gram panchayat, is also waterlogged.Executive officer of Pattamundai Municipality, Prafulla Biswal, said, “We are clearing drains and pumping out water from residential areas. The number of potholes are relatively less.”Paradip Municipality chairman Basant Biswal assured that pumps are being used to drain water from low-lying areas, adding that preventive drain cleaning was carried out months ago.Authorities continue to monitor the situation as more rainfall is expected in the coming days.
