Patna: Patna is reeling under a waterlogging crisis that has continued for 56 days, paralysing daily life and leaving residents desperate. The situation began on 27 July when heavy rains flooded the city, and water overflowed from sump houses and nearby hills into residential areas south of National Highway 30. Since then, water up to two to three feet deep has remained stagnant on roads, in homes and across empty plots, turning entire localities into islands.
For eight weeks, people have been living in submerged houses and are unable to step out without risk. Children are missing school, students are struggling to attend exams, and patients face serious problems reaching hospitals for treatment. Residents say the lack of transportation has worsened the situation. Pintu Kumar, a resident of Sonalika Nagar, shared that after boats stopped running for five days, it became nearly impossible to move around. In one case, locals had to ferry an elderly man with a broken arm to the hospital by boat. Earlier, after the death of another resident, the community carried the body through waterlogged streets to Gulabi Ghat for cremation.
Bringing rations into homes has become a challenge, leaving many families short of food supplies. People initially depended on a boat service arranged by ward councillor Kismatiya Devi, but when the boatman stopped coming, residents were left stranded. Students, particularly girls, are being forced to carry extra clothes so they can change after wading through water on their way to school or exams.
The prolonged waterlogging has turned the stagnant pools into breeding grounds for mosquitoes, creating an alarming health risk. The foul smell from dirty water and rotting waste has made life miserable. Locals fear that diseases like dengue, malaria and diarrhoea could soon spread if immediate steps are not taken. Some residents have blamed water chestnut farmers for blocking drainage channels, saying this has prevented water from receding.
