Ghost of waterlogging returns to haunt Patna

PATNA: Heavy rain and overcast skies on the last few days brought back memories of the waterlogging nightmare in the city last October.
Several low-lying areas in Patna witnessed waterlogging on Friday after the city received 60mm rainfall in the last two days. The combat cell of Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) received as many as 12 complaints from several locations, mostly from Kankarbagh and Patliputra Colony.
Tanuja Sharma of Patliputra area said the streets remained waterlogged after Friday rain for almost nine hours. “Whenever it rains like this, it brings back the memory of our marooned home for 20 days last year. We had struggled for food and drinking water,” she recalled.
Anuj Shanker of Thakurbari road, who works in a private insurance company, said after rain, the sanitation workers opened the manholes to drain out water. “Sometimes, the manholes gush out dirty water in the locality. The civic body needs to properly clean the drainage pipes,” he said.
Patna divisional commissioner Sanjay Kumar Agarwal on Saturday conducted a review meeting with the officials regarding waterlogging in the city on Friday. He instructed the PMC officials and executive officers of each circle to inspect all the waterlogged areas and find out the major causes behind it.
“The problem needs to be immediately tackled by the authorities concerned. The executive engineer of Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (BUIDCO) has to deploy sufficient manpower at the sump house near Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH), Patna,” Agarwal said.
He directed the BUIDCO executive engineers to install cameras and biometric devices at all sump houses to ensure the presence of the pump operators. He also ordered for construction of temporary sump house near Patna Canal, Digha area.
Agarwal said with the construction of a sump house at Digha, the water would easily drain out from eastern parts of Patna without obstructions. “We have also asked the power department for diversion of electric poles from Badshahi Paine and translocation of trees from Digha Nullah for proper drainage cleaning,” Agrwal said.
PMC commissioner Himanshu Sharma said the civic body has purchased around 100 motor pumps to drain out water from streets. “We will get these motors in next 5-6 days,” he said.
“I inspected the major areas and found waterlogging at a few places like Ram Lakhan Path, New Patliputra (street 2-3) and near Khetan Market. The motor pumps will be helpful in draining out water from these areas. Besides, desiltation of all major drains have completed except Bakerganj Nullah, which would be completed in next four days. Cleaning of small drains would be done by June 15,” Sharma said.