Heavy rains on Saturday caused severe flooding in India’s eastern state of Odisha, bringing life in the province to a grinding halt.
Rainfall in Bhubaneswar flooded roads and railway tracks, submerging and damaged hundreds of houses.
Local residents said the continuous rainfall has brought the province on its knees.
One of the residents, Debashish, said, “Even if it’s mild rainfall, water-logging takes place. The construction of this new overbridge has aggravated the problem.”
“Bhubaneswar is a smart city, it is the number one smart city but you can see the scenario over here that it’s full of water,” said another resident, Ramesh.
In the eastern city of Shimla, a massive landslide swept away vehicles and damaged buildings, including a temple.
The Deputy Superintendent of Shimla Police, Rajinder Sharma, said people have been evacuated from the area and no casualties were recorded.
“As per the rescue work done until now, there has been no loss of life,” Sharma said.
“According to safety protocols, three houses have been evacuated and people have been warned as debris is crashing off onto the road continuously.
“It has fallen twice already. To avoid any mishap, we have evacuated people.”
Flooding is an annual problem during the monsoon season in South Asia, but the impact has worsened by crumbling civic infrastructure, clogged drains and uncontrolled urban expansion.
Reuters
