Water woes continue in western Patna

PATNA: There wasn’t much let-up in the waterlogging scenario in western Patna on Monday even though Patna divisional commissioner Anand Kishor issued a slew of directives to the authorities concerned to pump out water from the localities near Saguna Mor and along Gola Road.

Though water was receding in areas north of Bailey Road, areas like Visvesaraya Nagar, Bank Colony, Lavkush Nagar and Mahavir Tola are yet to get relief.

Boats and tractors are still being used by people at Balaji Nagar off the Saguna-Khagaul road to commute. In fact, there is still three to five-foot water in the locality.

“On getting information, we send boats and tractors to help serious patients from Bank Colony, Vijay Vihar, Lekha Nagar and Anand Bazar reach hospitals. Circle officers and Nagar Parishad officials have been asked to provide help to the needy,” Danapur SDO Taranjot Singh said.

Residents, however, lamented the perils of facing prolonged waterlogging. “The greatest blunder of my life was construction of a house in this area. Thousands of people in the newly developed colonies are living miserable life,” said Dukhan Prasad Sinha, a senior citizen of Sundernagar Colony.

The entire area having about 300 houses is still covered under knee to thigh-deep water. In some lanes of Sundernagar phase II, people carry children in their arms to bus stops for sending them to schools. Many children from Balaji Nagar and Vivek Vihar are unable to wade through three-foot water to reach their schools. Similar problems are being witnessed in Patel Nagar, Jawahar Nagar and Punam Colony.

One Abhay Singh from Punam Colony said there was no other way to take patients to hospitals, except on shoulders and motorbikes. “People, especially women and children, are falling sick due to accumulation of rainwater,” Abhay said.

Danapur Nagar Parishad chairperson Anu Kumari said dewatering pumps were working round-the-clock in the area. Danapur SDO Taranjot Singh said three large dewatering pumps were installed in Bank Colony and Vijay Vihar Colony to clear the waterlogging. “At least 40 small dewatering pumps are also working in other areas. Fogging and spray of larvicide are also being done in many localities,” the SDO said.

He added that encroachments from drains and ‘aahars’ were also being removed.