Barely two hours of rain leaves Noida waterlogged

According to officials at Noida authority, the control room received 11 waterlogging complaints from Sectors 62, 63, 95, 122 Parthala, 12A, 36 and 122

Residents of Noida woke up to light and moderate showers on Thursday morning, resulting in waterlogged streets in many areas of the city, which forced commuters to navigate through knee-deep water in certain areas.

Commuters pass through a heavily waterlogged stretch of road, at Sector 44, in Noida, India, on Thursday. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

On July 1, the Noida authority introduced a toll-free helpline number, 0120-2423795, for residents to report waterlogging. This helpline will remain active until August 31, according to an authority official. Additionally, the authority has established a dedicated control room, operated by the irrigation and water department, to address waterlogging grievances.

According to officials at Noida authority, the control room received 11 waterlogging complaints from Sectors 62, 63, 95, 122 Parthala, 12A, 36 and 122.

On the other hand,the Traffic police of the city, faced challenges due to traffic congestion in waterlogged areas. “Waterlogged roads around DND Loop and Bird Feeding Point led to traffic snarls across the city. Nonetheless, we made efforts to clear the traffic as much as possible,” Traffic Inspector Ram Singh said.

Vivek Verma, a commuter and resident of Sector 20, said, “With just a little morning rain, Noida came to a standstill for hours, and the entire city experienced slow-moving traffic. This short rain exposed the effectiveness of the Noida authority’s work in the city.”

Waterlogging was reported in various sectors, including Sectors 12, 19, 22, 27, 44, and 95, as well as the expressway.

Another commuter, Abhishek Kumar from Sector 44, said, “I left home around 9:30 am on Thursday to commute to work on my bike. However, upon reaching Dalit Prerna Sthal, I was taken aback by the waterlogged road. Due to limited space and traffic congestion, I had to put my foot down in knee-deep water.”

Meanwhile, RP Singh, deputy general manager of Noida authority, said, “The authority has installed 32 water pumps in low-lying areas, and many of them were utilized to drain the water after Thursday’s rain”. He further said that the civil department is responsible for cleaning drains, and the authority has instructed them to complete the task before the monsoon season.