BHUBANESWAR: Municipal commissioner Rajesh Prabhakar Patil on Friday faced fuming residents of Badagada who alleged gross civic negligence after filthy drain water entered their homes following heavy spells of rains in the last 12 hours.
The municipal commissioner was visiting the area as the flooding and water-logging, caused by a clogged discharge passage left a number of houses in the area inundated for hours, damaging property and increasing the risk of a health crisis.
The residents, who voiced their frustration before the municipal commissioner, were seen seeking an immediate solution to the matter after their houses were flooded twice in a span of 12 hours on Thursday night. One of the residents even alleged that the area has turned into a picnic spot for the BMC authorities. “They come here in the name of inspection, click pictures, and return. There is hardly anything real being done to address our plight,” he alleged.
The flooding which occurred twice, following intense spell of rains on Thursday evening and early Friday morning, allegedly due to the burial of an existing syphon, left about 40 to 50 houses inundated, displacing multiple families.
The flooding left household articles damaged, cars flooded while residents were sent seeking shelter in safer places. While some residents went to upper floors of their homes, others took refuge in the residences of their neighbours. Some were even forced to shift to hotels.
“My 92-year-old grandmother had to sit on a teapoy placed atop the bed as the water level inside the house rose to nearly five feet. I, along with my parents and brother, also stayed on the first floor of a neighbour’s house all night,” said Sonali Suman, one of the residents.
Though the water level receded after BMC cut open two embankments of Daya West canal, the incident has left the residents in panic and misery.
Sonali said most of their clothes are now ruined, while household appliances like refrigerators and washing machine were damaged. “A thick layer of mud and filth covers the floors. We apprehend health hazards,” she said.
Residents pointed out that the drainage waste mixed with stormwater has contaminated well and groundwater sources and sought immediate relief in this regard. They alleged that with motor pumps lying defunct and municipal water supply duration remaining extremely short, many of the affected residents don’t even have water for domestic use.
“We are also worried about the waterborne diseases,” said Sourav, another resident, while seeking BMC and Wacto’s intervention for adequate measures in this regard.
Patil following his review, however, said that the matter has been taken up with the irrigation wing of the Water Resources department, while temporary arrangements have also been put in place to deal with the problem in the current season. “A permanent solution will be worked out soon,” he said.