Sunday, 29 September 2024
Sunday, 29 September 2024
Panchanantala, South End Park, Bangur Avenue, College Street, Amherst Street. These were some areas in Calcutta that would experience regular waterlogging during the 1990s and early 2000s. Fast forward two decades, waterlogging has reduced in these areas because of changes in the drainage system. But one place in Calcutta seems to remain stuck 20 years ago. Behala, in west Calcutta.
The traffic snarls of Diamond Harbour Road may be a thing of the past. A new overground Metro network has come up. A few kilometres here and there, newer and swanky apartments have come up in Maheshtala, Joka, and even Taratala side. But the narrow lanes, overflowing drains and waterlogging in Behala remain.
Since the heavy rains that began on August 21, several areas of Sarsuna are flooded, including Jadav Ghosh Road and Bagpota, and Parnasree, Chowrasta and Silpara. Thousands living in these areas are suffering. Some parts now resemble a marshy swamp, with chirping of crickets and croaking of frogs.
Various pockets in areas of Ward No. 123, 126, 127 and 131 were waterlogged till Tuesday.
Some parts still have overflowing sewage and puddles of water.
For instance, Loknath Para in Ward No. 126. The rains have led to severe waterlogging, leaving the residents grappling with serious challenges.
Nirmal Bhattacharjee, 46, navigated stagnant floodwaters every day on his way to work at a cooking gas agency in Taratala. A resident of Loknath Para in Sarsuna for nearly 30 years, he said, “In all my time living here, I’ve never seen anything like this. We deal with waterlogging every year but the situation improves within a day or two. This year, the water remains stagnant due to overloaded drains.”
He pointed out that the Bagpota area is lower than its surroundings, so water from higher areas flows into it and accumulates.
The municipality has failed to address the situation, he said, echoing what many others said. “The drains lack proper connectivity. Daily commuting has become a nightmare. Despite the efforts of the Loknath Para Unnayon Committee to contact the local councilor, no action has been taken.” Bhattacharjee said.
Waterlogging has long been a persistent problem for locals, but this time the situation is dire. The water becomes stagnant and contaminated, exacerbated by the overflow of drains and sewage systems.
“We have installed pumps to help manage the waterlogging, though some accumulation is still expected,” Tarak Singh, mayor in council of sewerage & drainage, including drainage pumping stations, told The Telegraph Online when contacted.
“The irrigation canal is in poor condition and we recently met with the irrigation department to address this. Two pumps have been set up in the area to provide temporary relief.” Singh said.
He is the councillor of Ward 118 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. The ward includes part of Behala.
“I acknowledge that there are ongoing issues,” Singh said. “The previous councillor, Nihar Bhakt of Ward 127 [of the CPM], did not establish an adequate drainage system, which has contributed to the current problems. We are actively working to improve the situation, but it will take at least 2-3 years to complete the necessary drainage infrastructure. After the monsoon season, we plan to address the canals in Wards 126 and 127.
“I have personally visited the affected areas and conducted a drone survey. We are in regular discussions with the mayor and the irrigation department to develop a permanent solution.”, he added.
Ghanasree Bagh, councillor of Ward No. 126, did not respond to The Telegraph Online’s calls and WhatsApp messages,
Rituparna Ghosh, 33, another resident of Behala, could not go to her office in the IT hub of Sector V in Salt Lake for three days due to the waterlogging. She was forced to request remote work. There is knee-deep water in front of her house in the Sonali park neighborhood of Sarsuna for the past week.
“We’re facing numerous problems here, but the most pressing issue is hygiene,” she said.. “Contaminated water has seeped into our home, making it difficult to manage daily life. Commuting to work has become nearly impossible, so I’ve had to work from home. I can’t even send my two young children to school because of the sewage water, and going to the market has turned into a major ordeal due to the waterlogging. The only solution is for the municipality and government to address this issue by improving drainage facilities. We feel completely neglected and ignored.”
Subham, 41, an auto driver on the Devinagar-Chowrasta route, said: “The availability of auto rickshaws has drastically decreased, making it difficult for people to get to work. Many rickshaws frequently get stuck in potholes and floodwater. When the engines fail due to water exposure, restarting them becomes impossible. The roads are simply not equipped to handle such heavy rainfall.”
Dipali Jana, 34, who owns a local grocery shop on the Sonali Park main road, said: “The road is inundated with knee-deep water, and there’s no end in sight. People are only going out when absolutely necessary and are increasingly ordering household items online. As a result, our daily business has been severely impacted.”
These parts of Behala now have an absentee MLA. The MLA of Behala Paschim and the former education minister of the state, Partha Chatterjee is currently lodged in jail for his alleged involvement in the alleged teacher recruitment scam. He was taken into custody two years ago. Since then there is no elected representative from these parts to the state assembly.
