SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Sept 30: Heavy rains that have been lashing the region for the past 33 hours (since 4 a.m. on Tuesday) have disrupted people’s daily lives in Dhanbad and Giridih. Traffic movements have been hampered by waterlogging on national and state highways, and people in some city colonies have been restricted to their homes. Their problems have grown even more due to the power outage, which lasted for several hours.
Water has logged on the National Highway (NH-2) in Saraidhela, DRM Chowk, and under the Gaya Overbridge in Dhanbad, disrupting vehicular and commuter traffic. NHAI Jharkhand civil engineer SK Mishra told the media that all project officers and engineers have been informed of the situation and have been instructed to clear roads if traffic is disrupted.
The situation in the city was grim following continuous rains. Residents especially women and children in Pandit Colony, Housing Colony, Hans Bihar Colony Bartand near Asian Jalan Hospital, Bus Stand, Dhaiyya Road, Chanchani Colony, Jaya Prakash Nagar, Grewal Colony near Bekarbandh have been confined in their houses for the last several hours due to high-level waterlogging.
Dipak Chouhan, a resident of Grewal Colony, said, “Being in a low-lying location in the city, Municipal Corporation officials and concerned employees are well aware that even in the light rainfall, water accumulates in our colony. However, despite repeated calls since last night, they have not taken notice of people’s distress during this exceptional cyclone.”
Electric lines snapped at multiple locations throughout the city during heavy rains followed by powerful storms, severely affecting power delivery. “While we fix the cables at one location, complaints regarding the snapping of wires in another area are reported,” a senior JBVNL area Board officer said. “Staff have been working on maintenance all night, despite the heavy rain,” he added.
District-based coal companies BCCL, ECL, and SAIL Chasnala have banned miners from operating in underground mines, learning from the September 26, 1995 mines tragedy when water from the Katri River reached the Gaslitand underground mines in Katras. 65 miners had lost their lives in that fateful event.
In Giridih, water was rushing over the Bengabad-Giridih bridge in Giridih, causing traffic congestion. According to officials, the water level in Isri Fall has also reached dangerous levels.
