Bhubaneswar: To attract visitors to different water bodies in Odisha capital, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has chalked out a comprehensive plan for beautification and renovation of 80 ponds in the city, reports said.
Of the 115 water bodies the capital city has, renovation of 13 has already been completed, while work on eight is in progress.
As part of the beautification drive, steps are being taken to create inlets and outlets in the ponds, establishment of new embankments, repair of old ones and installation of designer lights around the natural water bodies, they said.
This apart, facilities like benches and walkways along the embankment are being created by the civic body for the convenience of visitors.
The BMC is also set to undertake de-silting work and initiate some bio-remedial measures for keeping the pond water clean.
Steps are also being taken for construction of approach roads to the ponds where people face difficulty in accessing the place. Besides creating walkways, the civic body will put up fences around the water bodies to protect them.
Designer lighting structures will also be installed around some ponds to enhance the aesthetic look, a BMC official reportedly said.
The renovation work has already been completed in the major ponds like Jena Sahi Pokhari at Jharpada, Kapileswar, Jhara Pokhari at Jagamara, Baghua at Jadupur and Bada Pokhari and Namrakani Pokhari at Patrapada.
BMC city engineer Arun Kumar Nayak told TOI that funds for the renovation work will be shared by the Odisha Urban Infrastructure Development Fund, the civic body’s ward fund, Smart City mission, City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain project and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation-II (Amrut-II).
“After compiling the list of the ponds to be renovated and making an estimate with requirement details, we will send a proposal to the state government, which will send it to the Centre to get the funds under Amrut-II,” he said.
The water bodies in the city are centuries old and they have been useful to the residents in cooling the periphery areas, especially during summer. Weeding will help maintain the ponds’ water quality and the BMC plans to do the renovation in a scientific way to make the ponds sustainable.
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