The rainfall was moderate on Wednesday but several pockets of Salt Lake and areas off VIP Road still witnessed waterlogging.

An official of the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation said debris, leaves and branches had choked the rainwater drainage channels and gully pits, leading to flooding. To add to the problems, the Kestopur and the Bagjola canals, which drain out accumulated water from Salt Lake and VIP Road, are filled to the brim.

The Dum Dum observatory of the Indian Meteorological Department recorded 27.94mm of rain, while the Alipore Met office recorded 33mm of rainfall over 24 hours till 6.30pm on Thursday.

However, the showers proved to be enough to swamp several roads in Salt Lake as well as parts of VIP Road on Thursday.

In Salt Lake, the Karunamoyee intersection and the Karunamoyee Housing Estate had ankle to knee-deep water, making it tough for motorists and pedestrians to move.

Residents of the Karunamoyee Housing Estate and EE Block said they had a harrowing time reaching the nearby markets as well as going to their workplaces.

“At least three app cabs cancelled the ride after seeing the water on the road leading to my house,” said Animesh Bhattacharya, a resident of Karunamoyee Housing Estate in ED Block.

Similar scenes played out in several other blocks, including FA and AA Blocks.

Several places along VIP Road, such as Chinar Park, were flooded on Thursday morning.

Residents of housing complexes like Sriram Nagar and Space Town had a harrowing time reaching VIP Road or the Chinar Park crossing. “Every time it rains, this area gets waterlogged. The water doesn’t recede even after the rain stops,” said Shyamal Chaudhuri, who lives in the neighbourhood.

A 1km-long stretch of the service road near the Haldiram’s bus stop was under knee to waist-deep water.

The Calcutta Municipal Corporation had cleaned up their rainwater drainage network after Cyclone Amphan. But the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation did not carry out such an exercise.

Devashish Jana, the mayoral council member in charge of drainage at the civic body, said the entire drainage system in Karunamoyee needed to be upgraded. “We will need at least six months to upgrade the drainage network there,” he said.

Places along VIP Road, Jana said, are prone to waterlogging because these are low-lying areas. The Bidhannagar civic body and Hidco, which builds infrastructure in New Town, will set up a drainage pumping station near City Centre II to solve the problem of waterlogging in these areas.