BMC to form team to monitor drains

Bhubaneswar: Two days after a four-year-old boy died after falling into an open storm water drain at Patitapaban Nagar here, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to introduce monsoon patrolling along all the natural drainage channels as well as secondary and tertiary drains in all the wards.
The patrolling is aimed at ensuring regular monitoring of drains so that problems can be detected and fixed within stipulated time based on the severity level.
BMC commissioner Vijay Kulange said a dedicated team will be formed for patrolling and engineers from the civic body’s drainage wing will be part of it.
“Besides pressing a patrolling team for daily monitoring of drains during monsoon, we have decided to put up caution boards to inform the people about the danger ahead so that they do not venture into those areas and stop children from doing so as well during heavy rain. However, most of the exposed drains have been covered and in case some are still uncovered due to a range of factors like deliberate removal, natural destruction or weak fittings, the patrolling squad will take stock of them and they will be fixed,” Kulange said on Tuesday.
While the drainage division of the BMC handles 10 natural drainage channels along with the drains of 10 wards, the private agencies hired by it look after the drains of remaining 57 wards.
BMC officials said waste water from the 10 natural drainage channels gets deposited into Gangua nullah before finally joining Daya river on the city’s outskirts. Sunday’s incident, in which the four-year-old boy got swept away, took place close to Gangua nullah, where drainage channel-7 meets it.
Learning its lesson from the death of a 15-year old boy who was swept away by storm water here in September last year, the BMC had put up barricades along the open drains. The BMC had done so to help people recognise the road in case water spilled over from the drains and on to the roads in case of heavy showers. Besides, the natural drainage channels at several intersections were exposed and had huge gaps. They have been covered with iron nets and at some places barricades have been put up to prevent accidents.