City Planners’ Efforts Fall Short As Bhubaneswar Faces Waterlogging Again

By OB Bureau On Aug 6, 2022

Bhubaneswar: Even as the Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL), Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BSCL) have come together to find a permanent solution to waterlogging in Odisha capital, the problem saw no end as was evident from post-rain scenario in the city on Saturday.

Heavy rain under the influence of low pressure in Bay of Bengal lashed Bhubaneswar from morning, leading to waterlogging in low-lying areas and vulnerable points. As it has been witnessed for the last several years, the road in front of Iskcon temple in Nayapalli, Bomikhal, Acharya Vihar and Rasulgarh were worst affected.

With knee-deep water flowing in front of Iskcon temple, the vehicular movement came to a standstill as hundreds of vehicles were stranded on the road. Heavy vehicular traffic congestion was also witnessed at Rasulgarh square which has proved to be bottleneck. The junction is used by the heavy vehicles on Kolkata-Vjaynagaram route of the National Highway.

In Bomikhal and Jaydev Vihar, which are located in low-lying areas of the city, rainwater with drain water entered the houses. The families were found draining out the muddy water in mugs and buckets from their houses in the two places.

According to sources, BSCL, BDA and BMC have been exploring ways to collaborate with specialised agencies to address waterlogging in the city as part of their climate-friendly initiatives. Last month, the BSCL had stated that a storm water master plan would be worked out on pilot basis for Nayapalli area to address the waterlogging problem in front of Iskcon temple.

The BSCL officials said a detailed master plan for Iskcon temple area and Ward 4 would be worked out. BSCL CMD and BDA vice-chairman Sanjay Singh also held talks with a delegation of German-based Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on these issues for collaboration with the agency in this regard. Discussion took place regarding the storm water management master plan, mapping of potential rainwater harvesting locations in Bhubaneswar and a topographical survey, said the officials.

BSCL was also working with GIZ to develop ‘Mu City Saviour’ app which will assist in reporting waterlogging in Bhubaneswar and taking safety measures in advance.

At the same time, the state government was planning to bring Gangua nullah under control of BMC to expedite its cleaning and increase its carrying capacity for drainage of storm water from the city. The nullah is currently under administrative control of Water Resources department.

Bhubaneswar Mayor Sulochana Das said BMC is managing 625 km of internal drains and major storm water drainage channels at present. As the storm water drainage channels are connected to Gangua, the nullah needs to be cleaned and made encroachment free for smooth flow of rainwater. Once the nullah comes under BMC control and fund is sanctioned for the purpose, its cleaning operation would start, she added.

The 45-km nullah, originating from Chandaka forest, flows from the west to south-eastern side of the city before entering Daya river. The nullah has become a major outflow of sewerage as the waste water enters it at different points. Eight out of 10 major natural drainage channels in the city are directly connected to Gangua. Waste water of the remaining two natural drains also enters the nullah.