Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation puts up barricades around drains

BHUBANESWAR: Learning lessons from its mistake after a 15-year-old boy was swept away by stormwater in the city a week ago, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has put up barricades along the open drains in view of heavy rain forecast in the next two days.
The barricades, BMC said, will help pedestrians and motorists recognise vulnerable spots.
“It will also prevent them from falling into drains in case roads get inundated. We are putting up bamboo barricades along all open drains, culverts that are exposed, natural drainage channel running close to residential areas, drains running along main roads. In case of cloudburst and rain water gushing into drain and on roads, the barricades can help people recognise the danger. They can also limit their movement by not crossing and moving beyond the barricaded point,” said BMC additional commissioner Laxmikant Sethi.
BMC said more than 70 vulnerable points had been identified earlier and now the engineering wing will deploy its men to put up signages.