Bhubaneswar: A permanent solution to water-logging across the Capital city seems impossible even as the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) held confabulations with officials including those of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) Monday to drain out water. The meeting came out with a few temporary solutions to recurring problems.
Earlier, BMC had informed NHAI about water-logging on the NH near Iskcon temple, Pahala and Bomikhal. In fact, the BMC had apprised NHAI about the need to build drainage at these vulnerable locations to prevent water-logging.
But, the lukewarm approach of NHAI towards the issue has aggravated water-logging. The meeting only discussed a few temporary measures to sort out the issue.
“We had a meeting with NHAI officials on discharging the water. After a month, we will meet again on some permanent solutions,” said BMC Commissioner Krishan Kumar.
The civic body has so far engaged more than 500 officials for addressing the water-logging woes in the smart city. Significantly, till Monday, the BMC control room (0674-2430038) had received 99 complaints from various areas of city.
“We have sorted out most of the complaints. The senior officials are also monitoring the developments,” added Kumar. According to officials, the city is generating more than 500 MT of solid waste in a single day and many are dumping them into the nearby drains or drainage channels. Unfortunately, this dumping of the garbage into drains has turned to be the major reason for water-logging at several locations.
“Unless we devise a unique motivational plan and aware the citizens about the bad effects of congesting the drains and drainage channels, we would face a horrible water management scenario in future,’’ said a senior BMC official.
Officials also informed the newspaper that the fruit vendors and the scrap dealers of Kharvel Nagar were causing a havoc over the drainage issues in the drainage channel No. 5, which originates from the catchment near the Gurudwara Singh Sabha.
Earlier, Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena had informed Orissa POST that the civic body had plans to impose penalty against the people dumping garbage into drainages. Apart from this, the civic body has also given instructions to the officials engaged in cabling activities to take necessary measures for avoiding possible water-logging.
“Garbage dumping into the drainages is one of our major challenges. We have cleared the garbage at several places and have plans to take stern action against this. We have the necessary officials responsible for construction activities like cabling works; to take necessary measure for avoiding water-logging,” Kumar said.
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