A team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) on Monday drained out water from a Mahestala area, which was waterlogged after Cyclone Amphan had struck the city on May 21.

After draining out the water using portable pumps, the team surveyed the area. “There were several uprooted trees and a mesh of cables and wires on the roads,” an NDRF officer said.

The men in orange overalls used chainsaws to slice the branches and trunks of the trees.

Prabir Kumar De, 66, said no official from Mahestala Municipality had visited the area since it got waterlogged.

He and his wife had kept all their windows shut because of the stench from the stagnant water and to keep mosquitoes at bay, and were also praying for sunny days for faster evaporation of water.

“We had tried hiring plumbers who could bring in pumps to drain out the water but they refused because of the stench. Finally, the NDRF team came to our rescue,” said De.

The affected area, where around 200 families live, is in ward 9 of Maheshtala Municipality.

A civic official said they did not have the specialised equipment that the NDRF team brought in.

“They lopped off the branches and sliced through the trunks in minutes using their saws,” the official said.

The residents, happy that water had finally receded, offered the NDRF men tea and biscuits. Shyamal Biswas, another resident, said they had even offered to cook them a lunch of fish curry and rice but they politely refused.