Nagpur News:
The Orange City turned Black and White with rain water everywhere in the proportion of an”Ocean”. Nagpur was, literally, taken by the storm, unleashing life-threatening watery woes. The scenario could be defined as just a holocaust. Dozens and dozens of areas submerged with neck deep water in the low-lying areas. Citizens, surrounded by angry rain water, crying for help. Hundreds of vehicles stranded in flooded streets, some abandoned vehicles swept away by the swiftest water current. Ambajhari, Gorewadan Sonegaon lakes owerflowing in a thick level. Dreaded and dark night added a series of problems apart from the others mentioned in the report.
The Nagpur city was hit by the rains, and hit so ferociously, that paralysed the life of the citizens. Paralysed in true sense. Thousands of people found themselves marooned as they were bang in the right of troubled waters. Totally stranded and unmoved. A single step ahead or backward would have proved fatal as they could have drowned or swept away. Several poor families, and also other families, who found themselves in life-threatening situations, spent the nightmarish night on the roofs of their houses, thirsty and starving and lives in the Almighty’s hands. However, the condition of those citizens, mainly the slums, who have no roofs to their dwellings, is beyond imagination. The helpless and poor families found themselves in nowhere land. Hundreds of them succeeded in coming out the vicious circle of water but were traversing and traversing for a safer place compromising with the food and drinking water.
The picture of Nagpur road traffic could be described as alien. The vehicles were either floating or drowning in the 5-foot water on dozens of main streets. The flooded water entered into the engines of motorcycles, auto-rickshaws, cars, and other vehicles. The result was: Total shut down of engines, and the vehicles in deep waters. Several owners abandoned their vehicles and left place to save themselves from a watery grave. The Nagpurcitizens, whose houses were deluged with rain water, had to undergo multiple, and slithering difficulties. The first problem was getting rid of flooded water which forcibly entered into their houses. The task proved mission impossible as continued heavy rains filled their houses with more and more water. Secondly, and most dangerously, too, the slithering movement of snakes which were swept away, too, in the gutters. The sight of the cold-blooded species sent the chill down the spines of several citizens as the snakes, too, entered the house in large numbers. It means, spending the night fully awake, dread of snakes, starvation, and, financial loss. One of the citizens, witness to a cold-blooded scenario, Shabana Begum Ansari, said they were saved by the Almighty alone as many snakes found her house safe.
HOUSE COLLAPSED: A house came down crashing in Maskasath area of Nagpur as it could not withstand the battering of heavy rains. Fortunately, no injuries and fatality was reported. The Fire Brigade personnel started relief operation and cleared the debris of the collapsed house but not before the problems citizens faced for smooth traffic.
NAG NADI RAILING SWEPT AWAY: Heavy and rapid force of water damaged the walls of a narrow bridge and took the railing along with it. The incident occurred near Karnewar Grounf in Dhantoli. For few years., the bridge was a link for people to got Sitabuldi and vice versa. But now, the bridge has become dangerous for use as no railings could prove fatal.
The Fire Brigade personnel were working hard to flush out water from the basement of Sanskrutik Bhavan near Jhansi Rani Square in order to retrieve dozens of vehicles which drowned in the basement water. Three powerful pumps were pressed into the service to flush out the water. Similarly, the Variety Square-based NIT Complex basement was full to the brim. Fire Brigade was also trying to suck the water out. However, the short of hands with Fire Brigade, incapable NMC could not rush to the help of citizens as the cry for help was heard from one corner to other in the Nagpur city with a population of 40-45 lakhs.
“DEAD” PUMPS: At present, the NMC possesses 100 powerful pumps, enough to some extent, but ironically most of them non-functional. The miserable condition of NMC could be gauged from the fact that the employees of the NMC itself could not press the pumps in service to flush out water from the Headquarters of NMC. The poor situation has not changed since years even after spending lakhs and lakhs. On the contrary, the situation has turned from bad to worse.
The road traffic situation came to such a pass that the citizens, who were used to return home within 5 or 10 minutes from their place of working, returned home by a whopping 5 hours late. The traffic police were struggling till late night for clearing jams near Maroti Showroom on Kamptee road.
YOUTHS HELPED KIDS, WOMEN: Youths in Nari Road area helped the kid, women and the aged people in crossing the water-logged roads. The youths not only helped in crossing the roads, but helped the citizens reach home safely. The NMC failed to listen to their cry for help. The drainage lines in the area are choked by the garbage thrown by the citizens themselves. A light rain turns some areas flooded by the rain water.
