Nightlong downpour leaves Patna's anti-deluge plan in deep water

PATNA: The waterlogging in several areas in the city after overnight rains on Thursday has washed away the claims of authorities regarding their preparations, including setting up a standard operating procedure (SOP) and recommendations of various committees, to prevent a repeat of the last year’s waterlogging nightmare in the state capital.
The Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) and urban development and housing department have been claiming for the past couple of months that most monsoon preparedness works, including cleaning of major drains, manholes and catchpits in the city were to be completed before the arrival of monsoon.
However, in a meeting convened by deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi on May 22, officials concerned told him that only 35-75% of various types of works for monsoon preparedness was completed till then. It was told that the work is being carried out despite the lockdown.
Instructions were issued to procure several types of water-pumping machines utilising an estimated outlay of Rs167crore by July 31. However, UDHD minister Suresh Kumar Sharma told TOI on Friday that many such machines could not be procured due to lockdown.
“Monsoon preparedness work got slightly affected due to lockdown but the situation is much better this year, which was evident with timely discharge of accumulated rainwater from most areas on Friday,” the minister said.
Meanwhile, PMC Himanshu Sharma told TOI that around 100 pumps have been procured. “We have installed a diesel pump in Rajendra Nagar. Besides, construction of drainage system is on after which waterlogging problem will be over in the area. Only very low-lying areas are facing this problem and we are working on it,” he said.
Sharma had earlier told Union minister and Patna Sahib MP Ravi Shankar Prasad in an online review meeting on June 5 that drainage cleaning works were targeted to be completed by June 10.
Another meeting in this regard was convened by Prasad on Thursday. “A meeting was held with PMC commissioner, managing director of BUIDCo and all MLAs of Patna on Thursday. Directions were given to complete the cleaning works in all drains and start running all water drainage pumps. All measures are being taken to ensure that waterlogging like last year do not reoccur this year,” Ravi Shankar tweeted.
After last year’s waterlogging, a four-member probe committee was formed by the state government to identify officials responsible for slackness as well as suggesting measures for preventing waterlogging in the city during monsoon.
Later, the disaster management department also initiated the process of preparation of a standard operating procedure for prevention of waterlogging in the state capital.
Even CM Nitish Kumar has been reviewing the steps being taken for prevention of waterlogging. Nitish had also asked officials to increase capacity of all existing sump houses and make arrangement of an alternative power feeder along with a dedicated feeder for each sump house.
“All 39 sump houses in Patna are working up to their maximum capacity. The works on expansion of the capacity of sump houses are also in the pipeline,” minister Sharma said on Friday.
Even in 2015, PMC had drafted an SoP for tackling waterlogging conditions in the city. The 40-page SoP laid out tasks and responsibilities for total 18 agencies, including the PMC, health department, road construction department, water resource department and district administration among others to ensure timely removal of accumulated rainwater from the city streets. It envisaged steps for pre- monsoon measures, setting up control rooms, routine monitoring and action- plan for emergency operations among others.