Ranchi Weather: Heavy Rains Trigger Waterlogging, Power Cuts Across City; Orange Alert Issued Till Sept 19

Despite being tagged a ‘Smart City,’ Ranchi once again plunged into chaos after a heavy downpour that began around 5 PM on Monday. The rain, which lasted for nearly four hours, left several areas waterlogged, disrupted the electricity supply, and crippled commuting across the city.

The downpour caused a Scorpio-N vehicle to slip into a roadside ditch between Kantatoli and Bahubazar, though locals managed to rescue the occupants. Waterlogging was reported in Panchsheel Nagar, Pandra, Imamkothi, Distillery Pul Kokar, Hindpiri, Bandhgari, Bada Talab, Seva Sadan, Kishorganj, Upper Bazar, and other localities.

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At the RIMS trauma centre, waterlogging around the adjoining pond also hampered ambulance movement, compounding public inconvenience in the absence of street lighting.

According to the Meteorological Centre in Ranchi, an orange alert has been issued for heavy rainfall in Ranchi, Ramgarh, Hazaribagh, Gumla, Bokaro, Khunti, Deoghar, Dumka, Godda, Pakur, Jamtara, Giridih, Sahibganj, Palamu, Garhwa, Chatra, and Latehar until September 19. A yellow alert has also been issued for lightning and winds at 30-40 kmph. Dumka recorded the state’s highest rainfall at 152 mm, while temperatures ranged from 21.3 degrees Celsius in Latehar to 35 degrees Celsius in Pakur. Ranchi recorded 30.5 degrees Celsius (max) and 23.4 degrees Celsius (min).

The continuous rainfall triggered widespread power failures across Ranchi. Transformer fuses blew in several areas, while a short circuit in Kokar cut the supply to large parts of the locality. Intermittent supply was reported in Pundag, Namkum, Chutia, Samlong, Tatisilwai, Tupudana, Booty, BIT, Khelgaon, Mandar, and Ratu.

Residents from nearby villages were seen bringing damaged transformers to the Chutia repair workshop at their own expense, paying extra to dismantle and transport them. Attempts to contact TRW in-charge Kapil Ansari went unanswered. Officials cited manpower shortages and frequent lightning strikes as reasons for the recurring outages.

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Despite crores spent monthly on grid repairs and repeated feeder shutdowns, the city’s electricity network remains vulnerable to even moderate rainfall. Exposed transformers in low-lying areas have heightened the risk of electrocution, while many apartments have cut basement power supplies due to water seepage.

With Durga Puja approaching on September 22, shopkeepers expressed concern that persistent waterlogging and drainage failures will dampen festive shopping. Traders blamed poor drain maintenance, which causes dirty water to overflow onto roads even after light showers. Many fear reduced customer turnout this season.