Traffic crawls, flash flooding as heavy rain lashes city pockets

Time of India

4 days ago

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Kolkata: After a gloomy sky and intermittent rain on the first day of the week, the Met office has predicted similar weather for Kolkata on Tuesday. Some pockets in the city, mostly in south Kolkata, were lashed by heavy rain during a short spell, causing flash flooding and traffic congestion.
While most parts of the city received light rain, the intermittent showers made traffic crawl on Maa flyover, affecting vehicular movement along EM Bypass.
According to data by KMC's drainage department, Jodhpur Park pumping station recorded a high rain count of 115 mm till 8 pm, of which 95 mm occurred within two hours between 4 pm and 6 pm. Neighbouring Ballygunge, however, recorded only 15 mm during the same period, while Kamdahari in the southern fringes recorded 46 mm of rain.
Traffic was affected throughout the day, especially on stretches like Maa flyover, AJC Bose Road, and EM Bypass. The worst affected was the Bypass and its connecting roads like PC Connector, Kasba Connector, Anwar Shah Connector, Dhakuria, Jodhpur Park, and Rashbehari, where waterlogging was reported in the evening.
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In the morning, bumper-to-bumper traffic was witnessed on EM Bypass, with traffic moving at a snail's pace between Kadapara in Phoolbagan to Metropolitan crossing.
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The slow movement was also visible between VIP Bazar and Science City. Sources said this was partly due to slow movement on Maa flyover. "During rains, the average speed drops, and vehicles increase the distance between one another on the flyover. We also had two-wheeler riders stopping on the ramps under the Garia-bound ramps to shelter themselves from the rains.
We deployed a force of eight personnel in pouring rain to keep the traffic moving," said an officer at Lalbazar.
"The tail kept moving, albeit extremely slowly, from Kadapara till about Moila Khal post 9.30 am as Maa flyover (Park Circus bound flank) could not withstand the pressure. There was initially some pressure in the morning school hours, but when the rains picked up later in the day, at the peak office hours, movement became slower," said a cop at Chingrighata. With vehicles trying to take Maa flyover from Ruby flyover also getting stuck, those moving east towards Chingrighata from Ruby got stuck too, said traffic officials.
By evening, with rain picking up, several parts of Kolkata witnessed slower traffic, including stretches like PTS crossing, Moulali, and Park Circus. The worst traffic deadlock was all along Bypass, where six spots saw waterlogging along with PC Connector and Lake Gardens flyover. Stretches of Burdwan Road, DH Road, and Rashbehari crossing also witnessed jams. Senior officers had to hit the roads with sergeants to ensure movement continued on these stretches.
A low-pressure area, along with a cyclonic circulation and a monsoon trough, triggered spells of rain in Kolkata on Monday, pushing down the maximum temperature slightly further. "We can expect similar conditions of cloudy sky along with intermittent rain in Kolkata on Tuesday. While some isolated places in a few districts could be lashed by intense spells, in Kolkata we can expect light to moderate rain," said HR Biswas, head, Weather Forecast Section at Regional Meteorological Centre Kolkata.
KMC officials pressed heavy pumps to flush out stormwater from waterlogged areas like Lake Gardens, Jodhpur Park, and Dhakuria and adjacent neighbourhoods. Portable pumps were pressed into service in the added areas like Behala and neighbourhoods off the EM Bypass.