- Residents of Dehradun's Priyadarshini Enclave face ankle-deep water inside homes after heavy rain
- Residents use multiple pumps to drain water due to lack of soak pits and drainage systems
- Many residents blame local administration for inadequate flood preparedness and relief efforts
Ankle-deep water in the living room, kitchen, bedrooms and pumps at work to drain out the water: residents of an upscale locality in Dehradun are struggling to tackle rain woes and accusing the local administration of not making adequate preparations to provide relief to the public.
NDTV visited Priyadarshini Enclave near the city's Balliwala Chowk to take stock of the situation after heavy rain over the past few days disrupted normal life. Outside one of the homes, several pipes were seen pumping water out. Inside, there was water everywhere.
A resident said they are using six pumps to drain out the water. "I have asked the children to stay upstairs because I don't want them to fall sick. I have senior citizens in our family. Now I am scared they might become unwell too," she said.
Blaming the local administration, she said, "There is no soak pit here. We are upset over the situation. This is considered a posh locality. Property prices hover around Rs 1 lakh per square yard. There is no soak pit, no drain."
Another resident said they are scared every time it rains. "The government is not suffering, we are." One of the residents said that many people have sold off their homes and left the area. "Where will we go? Our children are studying here. Our life is here. Every six months, we suffer. We fold our hands to the government, please do something," she said.
Local resident Vishal said elected representatives care just about votes. "Senior citizens stay here, our houses are flooded. What will we do?"
Local civic officials told NDTV that they are making arrangements to drain out water from residential areas and that steps are being taken to prevent a recurrence of such a situation.
Dehradun has been receiving heavy rain for the past few days. Two people have died in rain-related incidents and there has been extensive property damage. The weather department has issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rains in Nainital, Champawat and Bageshwar districts for today and Tuesday and Udham Singh Nagar, Pauri and Dehradun for tomorrow.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has spoken to district magistrates and asked them to stay on the ground and help the people.
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