Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation speeds up drainage work before monsoon hits

BHUBANESWAR: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has expedited drain construction in different parts of the capital in order to avoid flooding during the monsoon.
On Friday, BMC mayor Sulochana Das visited different sites in wards 44 and 57 to review the work. Several areas under these two wards such as Badagada, Kargil Basti, Jharana Sahi, among others, are waterlogging-prone areas of the city.

“The drainage division has taken up construction of new drains in different parts of the city. I visited the sites in Badagada area and reviewed the work. The drainage division has been directed to complete the work as soon as possible,” Das said.
BMC commissioner Vijay Amruta Kulangealso held a coordination meeting with the public works department and sewerage board to draw up plans for completing the drain repair and maintenance work.
Officials said that a drain in Jagannath Ashram area, which is maintained by the works department, has become narrow due to encroachment. The BMC has requested the department officials to repair the drain, which is about 2.5-km long.
“The particular drain carries wastewater from the nearby localities. There are high chances of flooding in the area as the drain has become narrow making it difficult to discharge wastewater smoothly,” a BMC official said.
He said that with the restoration of the drain to its original size and proportion, more than 10,000 people living in the area will be saved from waterlogging problem. “During the coordination meeting, the works department was asked to take up the work,” he said.