Agra flooded with nightmare after downpour

The downpour in Agra in the early hours of Thursday broke all records with nearly 120 mm rainfall in just three hours. It spelt a nightmare for the city of the Taj, a grim reminder of what happened earlier this year in Uttarakhand.

"This city of mounds and ravines cannot handle such a heavy rain in such a short duration. Encroachments in all parts of the city that obstruct the free flow of rainwater, made things worse," said social activist Shravan Kumar Singh.

This year, the rain has been bountiful, almost 200 mm more than the 650 mm annual average for Agra.

"The parting shot that the monsoon has inflicted will take several days to heal up. The scars left behind by the heavy rain have exposed the hollow claims of the Agra Municipal Corporation," said hotelier Surendra Sharma.

"In our history textbooks, we read about the Mohenjodaro and Harappan civilisation and how well-developed and effective their drainage system was. In Agra, first colonies are built and then the provision of drains is made. In a few years, the drains disappear," lamented social activist Sudershan Dua.

Roads and parks in many parts of the city are still submerged in rain water. Goods worth crores of rupees were damaged in markets and many structures collapsed in Thursday's unexpected rain.

For the first time in decades, the moats of the Agra Fort overflowed with rain water.