2-hour rain floods Nagpur, may break 1966 record

NAGPUR: A two-hour deluge on Thursday morning in peak summer sent Nagpur residents living downstream of Ambazari Lake and along Nag River grappling with rising waters and bringing alive horrific memories of last Sept when devastating floods submerged over 25,000 homes.
Weathermen said Thursday's downpour is likely to breach the record of single-day rainfall of 56mm recorded on May 5, 1966, once figures are updated on Friday.Also, this was around 50% of the total rainfall of 88mm recorded in April, which saw 10 rainy days this year.
With the overcast sky reducing visibility, rain kept firefighters on their toes the entire day, attending calls on waterlogging and tree felling. Large swathes of the city suffered a blackout amid a dark May morning.
Overflowing sewers kept areas vulnerable to floods like Purohit Layout, Ambazari Layout, Kasturba Layout, Samata Layout, Yashwant Nagar, Daga Layout, Corporation Colony, Dandige Layout and Shankar Nagar on alert.
A TOI recce of flood-affected areas found sewage from choked underground chambers inundating several homes. Drainage systems too virtually collapsed, submerging several neighbourhoods.
Roads turned into rivulets, exposing blockage in stormwater networks and forcing residents to navigate waterlogged streets.
Nirmala Bhavsar, a senior citizen from Ambazari Layout, had replaced her damaged furniture and whitewashed her home after last year's flood. However, Thursday's rain brought gurgling water and sewage back into her house, reigniting fears of a monsoon mayhem. "It seems the sewerage network of our area is damaged severely and this seems to be a new challenge this monsoon," said Bhavsar.
Gangadhar Bedekar, a resident of Yeshwant Nagar, had constructed a threshold in front of their main door to prevent water from entering their house, reflecting the huge financial losses suffered by the Bedekar family by last Sept's deluge.
Dr Archana Deshpande from Shankar Nagar expressed frustration over NMC's botched cleaning of the Nag River. She pointed out that excavated silt from the river was causing significant blockages, hindering smooth flow of water in its basin.
Visits to Daga Layout, Corporation Colony and other areas revealed choked stormwater networks, making it tough for rainwater to find passage. Locals also raised questions over quality of work in strengthening the Ambazari Dam embankment. "The earthen bund's soil is loose and this makes the embankment vulnerable," said locals.