CUTTACK: The Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) has submitted in the Orissa High Court that it will deploy around 280 pumps in the city to address waterlogging issues during monsoon.
Taking note, the court has fixed June 27 for further monitoring the rain preparedness of CMC.
The special bench of Justice SK Sahoo and Justice V Narasingh, adjudicating on PILs fixed the date after CMC informed that an emergency contingency plan has been chalked out to prevent waterlogging for the ensuing monsoon. The CMC submitted that 211 dewatering pumps are already in place while another 68 are in the process of being positioned in allocated locations. While these high-power diesel pumps, which range from 5 hp to 24 hp, have been allocated for low-lying areas prone to inundation caused by overflowing drains, a dozen of them have been installed at permanent pumping stations in chronic waterlogging spots.
As part of the contingency plan, nearly 100 locations have been identified for positioning 24 hp water pumps, with a discharge rate of 5,000 litre per minute that would be to ensure fast clearance through the main storm water channel-1. The 24 hp pumps are expected to come handy in resolving waterlogging conditions even in the case of 100 mm of rainfall in the city, the civic body said.
Earlier, principal secretary Urban Development department G Mathi Vathanan was asked to be present in court to effectively address the issue of waterlogging. Appearing through video-conference, Vathanan assured the court that he will pass necessary instructions to ensure the problems of waterlogging are addressed in an effective manner.
On open drains, the CMC informed that out of the 403.15 km length of drains in the city, 347.57 km have been covered with reinforced cement concrete (RCC) slabs. Of the rest, 42.6 km will be covered by RCC slabs and 12.9 km barricaded with bamboo by July 10.
When the court wanted to know whether bamboo barricading would serve any purpose, CMC counsel Debashis Nayak said it will prevent citizens from falling into the drains.
Civic plans
279 pumps to be deployed across the city
24 hp pumps to be installed in 100 locations
348 km drains covered with RCC slabs
13 km drains to be have bamboo barricades