HELP! Commuters and Motorists Wade through Flooded Road at Jyothi
Mangaluru: For the last two days, Mangaluru has been clamouring for the skies to open up and lower temperatures, and when the rain finally arrived, the deluge brought the city to a standstill. Monday evening during rush hour, for commuters/school-college children, working class of people it was a nightmare as heavy downpour caused traffic jams that choked Central Business District, and Vehicular and commuter movement ground to a halt on the road near Jyothi/Ambedkar circle, as it was completely flooded.
Traffic on most of the busy roads were choked since water was flowing out of the drainage- and also from some of the newly constructed drainage-Seems like hard earned money of the citizens went down the drain, spending on these unplanned drainage. Alternative routes were also choked since buses were taking a short cut from their original routes. Heavy rains also uprooted quite a few trees across the city. Low-lying areas and parking lots were flooded. Travel on the road stretch from Jyothi circle to Hampankatta junction took long time than the usual time-this is one of the worst-ever drives. The roads are completely flooded. It’s total confusion and there was no alternative way out,” Sunitha, a commuter said.
Not just at Jyothi circle, there were chaotic scenes everywhere in the city. Meanwhile the metrological department has predicted that the city may witness spells of rain or thundershowers tonight and in the days to come. Incessant heavy rain this evening crippled normal life in several parts of Mangaluru, leaving in its wake water-logged roads, flooded basements and severe traffic jams. Low-lying areas, were the worst affected by the flooding water. Adding to this was a traffic gridlock that left a long pile-up of vehicles on roads across the city, particularly on the busy routes. Police personnel, including DCP Sanjiv Patil (Crime), and ACP Tilakchandra (Traffic) were seen controlling the traffic, and made sure that all commuters were safe due to flooded streets.
As all the major arterial roads that connects to the city and side roads witnessed traffic snarls, office goers returning home had a tough time wading through the flooded waters.
The current scene focuses on the city’s civic issues, which is a wake-up call to ensure the water bodies are taken care of. Lack of proper infrastructure was also adding to the problem, and MCC had lacked in taking steps in this regard. The flooded road near Jyothi has turned into a Venice! With the kind of images doing rounds on social media, Mangaluru cannot afford to ever fish for a compliment about being a livable city. This city has already been defined by its overflowing drainage and terrible traffic.
But Magalureans say today’s flooding in parts of the city, is just a warning sign. With these kind of infrastructure and poorly constructed drainage, If Mangaluru sees more such rains the city would probably sink. Because Mangaluru, bursting at the seams, has not quite paid attention to keeping itself fit, thanks to the enormous amount of unregulated construction it sees.
