BHUBANESWAR: As the State Capital's battle with waterlogging continues, the government is mulling to bring Gangua nullah under control of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) to expedite its cleaning and increase its carrying capacity for easy draining of storm water from the City.
Currently, BMC is managing 625 km of internal drains and major storm water drainage channels. 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, said Bhubaneswar Mayor Sulochana Das.
The government has proposed to handover the nullah, currently under administrative control of Water Resources department, to the BMC for its cleaning and maintenance. However, it is still in proposal stage and the process of its cleaning will start once the nullah comes under BMC’s ambit and fund is set aside for the purpose, she informed.
Originating from Chandaka forest, Gangua nullah has a total length is around 45 km. It flows from the western upland to the south eastern side of the City before merging with Daya river. However, after traversing around 13 km, the nullah takes the shape of a sewer mainly due to the waste water it receives from the City through drains at different points.
Eight out of the 10 major natural drainage channels in the City are directly connected to Gangua. Waste water of the remaining two natural drains (no 2 and 8) also enters the nullah as these are connected to drainage channel no 3 and 9.
Though several attempts have been made to clean the nullah and improve its water quality in the past, the water channel continues to struggle for its existence. In 2019, the river rejuvenation committee had also worked out an action plan to check release of waste water and pollution in the nullah. However, it failed to yield desired results due to delay in streamlining the City’s waste water treatment and solid waste management.
Officials of the Water Resources department couldn’t be reached for their comments. Meanwhile, the Mayor said a coordination meeting is scheduled to be held with the irrigation wing of the Water Resources department and IDCO, NHAI, R&B and other stakeholders to discuss about the City’s drainage issue and measures required to prevent waterlogging.
Storm water master plan for Nayapalli to address flooding in front of Iskcon temple
BHUBANESWAR: A storm water master plan will be worked out on pilot basis for Nayapalli area to address the waterlogging problem in front of Iskcon temple, informed officials of Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL) on Friday.
The officials said a detailed master plan for Iskcon temple area and Ward no 4 will be worked out. The BSCL, Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BSCL) are also exploring opportunities to collaborate with specialised agencies to address issues as part of their climate-friendly initiatives.
BSCL CMD and BDA vice-chairman Sanjay Singh on Thursday 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 an official.
He further said under the Climate Smart Cities initiative, BSCL is working with GIZ to develop 'Mu City Saviour' app which will assist in reporting waterlogging in Bhubaneswar and taking safety measures in advance.
The BSCL will proceed with the app soon to deal with the City’s waterlogging menace. BSCL officials also briefed GIZ representatives about their ongoing climate-relevant interventions under the Climate Smart Cities project.