Mangalore: Rain Water Gushes on Road – Pedestrians, Two-wheelers Hard Hit
Pics: Sphoorty Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Jun 12: Citizens of the city are worried over the sufferings they may have to undergo during the coming days, taking cue from the problems encountered by them on the first day of heavy rains of this season.

Wherever the road concreting has been undertaken, drains have not been dug as yet. In other places, storm drains have clogged. Pedestrians, particularly hapless school children wearing uniforms, were seen being sprinkled with muddy water as the vehicles moved past them. The sharp, deep edges of the half-completed concrete roads invite accidents.

District deputy commissioner, Ponnuraj, said that the district administration has made all arrangements to manage flood-like situations. He added that the city corporation has formed a ‘health gang’ to rush in case of emergencies. About the low-lying areas of the city getting inundated time and again, he said that guidelines will be drafted, to ensure that houses being built in low-lying areas in future are equipped with proper underground drainage and other infrastructure to manage such situations.

Corporation commissioner, Dr Vijayaprakash, explained that wherever the drains have been cleared, it is seen that they get filled with filth and dirt within a couple of days because of the rain water.  He said that the corporation will henceforth consider entrusting the works of drainage, road and footpath through a single contract at a time, to obviate difficulties being faced by the citizens now because of half-completed stretches.

Slippery roads, uncovered drains, damaged slabs on the drains, collapsed storm drains and gushing rain water pose dangers to lives and property, as road users fail to notice them because of standing water. The citizens, while welcoming rains, hope that standing water will not be a perennial problem during this season, and that it will not pave way for any tragedies.