Odisha Floods (File Photo |EPS)
Odisha Floods (File Photo |EPS)

Low-lying areas are still under water as Bhubaneswar’s drainage system goes haywire

With the drainage system going kaput after the heavy downpour, fire services teams and sanitation staff of BMC were seen trying to dewater half a dozen places across the city using water pumps.
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BHUBANESWAR: A day after the state capital received a record amount of rain, the situation in the city continued to be grim even on Tuesday as Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) struggled to clear waterlogging in many low-lying areas till evening.

With the drainage system going kaput after the heavy downpour, fire services teams and sanitation staff of BMC were seen trying to dewater half a dozen places across the city using water pumps. Sanitation workers were also deployed to clear drains clogged with solid waste at various places. Meanwhile, sporadic rain flooded several stretches of NH-16 even on the second day.

Fire services officials said water pumps were commissioned in the residential areas near Jadupur high school, behind DN Regalia Mall at Patrapada and Lane No 3 of Palasuni Kapileswar Nagar where water level failed to recede till Tuesday evening. Besides, dewatering pumps were also used to clear waterlogging in Bhimatangi, Jagamara and other areas of the city during noon.

“Apart from poor drainage facility, brief spells of rain in regular intervals made things worse in the low-lying areas,” said a fire services personnel. The BMC workers were seen cleaning the drain near Soubhagya Nagar that remained flooded after heavy showers last evening.

BMC officials admitted to receiving around 100 calls related to waterlogging on the helpline number 1929 till Tuesday morning. “Close to 500 people from different localities including Kargil Basti, Bihari Basti, Panchasakha Nagar and Rajiv Nagar were kept in transit shelters and provided cooked food and other relief materials. However, all of them left by morning,” said an official from BMC’s emergency wing.

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