Bhubaneswar, Oct 9:
Heavy overnight rainfall led to severe waterlogging in several parts of Bhubaneswar on Tuesday, throwing normal life out of gear and disrupting traffic movement across the city.
Low-lying areas such as Acharya Vihar, Nayapalli, Jaydev Vihar, Palasuni, Bomikhal, and Rasulgarh were submerged under knee-deep water as drains overflowed due to the incessant rain. Commuters faced long traffic snarls during peak hours, with vehicles moving slowly through flooded stretches of NH-16 and adjoining roads.
The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) deployed emergency response teams to drain out accumulated water using pumps and to clear blocked drains. “All zonal teams are on the ground. We are monitoring vulnerable points and working to restore normal traffic flow,” a BMC official said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) attributed the downpour to a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal and warned of more rainfall over coastal Odisha in the next 24 hours.
Although no casualties were reported, residents complained of water entering houses in some localities and power outages in a few areas.
Civic authorities have urged people to stay indoors during heavy rain and report waterlogging incidents to the BMC helpline.
