Heavy rain triggers waterlogging, traffic congestion in Greater Noida
Car commuters barely broached the wasterunning on this street, and congestion also reported as dozens of bikes came to a stop in the middle of the road so as not to go through the waterlogged portions.
Downpours turned some areas of Greater Noida waterlogged and held up traffic on Friday afternoons.
Various areas, especially the low-lying areas were reporting waterlogging. Areas include underpass of Expo Mart, Kulesra Flyover, T-Point at Haldoni T-Point, T-Point at Sutiyana, Kachchi Road, the Lal Kuan Flyover, and the road from Lal Kuan towards Delhi.
Cars passed through 18 inches of water on a major thoroughfare, and miles of traffic were reported as bikes stopped dead in the middle of the road to avoid water-filled potholes.
Waterlogging was not only there on roads but also outside a government school at Tugalpur near Pari Chowk. ‘We had warned officials about the waterlogging outside the school during the past five years. The children and the teachers have to wade through nullah water filled in the low-lying areas outside the school,’ said Meghraj Bhati, a school teacher.
In Greater Noida, while heavy rainfall was reported, Noida saw moderate rainfall on Friday, giving this part of the National Capital Region some respite from the humidity.
On Friday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow alert for the entire National Capital Region (NCR) and predicted heavy rainfall at isolated places in the region. The minimum temperature recorded in Gautam Budh Nagar on Friday was 26.5 degree Celsius whereas maximum temperature was 35 degrees Celsius, according to the official weather office. The IMD forecast partly cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain/ thundershower till August 27 and minimum and maximum temperature of 26-27 degrees Celsius and 36-37 degrees Celsius respectively.
They have reported that because of the waterlogging which results in frequent traffic jams, the Noida traffic police too have identified 16 locations as waterlogging hot spots in Noida and Greater Noida.
The traffic police has written to the Noida and Greater Noida authorities to resolve the issue of waterlogging that continues long after the city is lashed by the rains. It also wants rail authorities to adhere to rules for trains during the rains, such as using dipped headlight, to avoid hazards for commuters. “We have asked officers concerned to come up with measures, in the short run and also in the long term, to ensure that there are no waterlogging problems during rains and only then there is a chance of us being able to decongest traffic during the rains,” said Yamuna Prasad, deputy commissioner of police, traffic.
While answering why localities saw congestion despite the rain, the DCP responded: There are more than enough reasons to understand the reason of traffic congestion. During rain, as it results in water logging, people slow down their speed as they cannot clearly see the road; furthermore, some motor bikers shift their bikes under the flyover which restricts traffic space to a certain point. Probably, we have also noticed breakdown during rain, which also contributes to the chaos.
The authority has also marked out waterlogging hot spots in Greater Noida and prepared a plan to install new drains and correct the road structure to drain away water Sharma, senior manager (sewers), Greater Noida authority.
‘Sump wells were put up to get rid of water from the low lying area.’ Besides this, civil department and sewerage department were asked to be at work together to get rid of drains and structural changes, RP Singh, deputy general manager, water and sewer department, told Firstpost.