BHUBANESWAR: With the early onset of monsoon in the state, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi asked authorities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack to complete the ongoing drainage works and desiltation by June 20 to tackle urban flooding and waterlogging in the Twin City.
Chairing a high-level meeting on Thursday, Majhi directed officials to ensure adequate preparedness to check urban flooding in low-lying areas. After being informed that 20 per cent of the desiltation work in Bhubaneswar and a similar proportion in Cuttack remain pending, he set a deadline of June 20 for their completion.
Sources said, Majhi sought details about measures taken to prevent waterlogging on ISKCON temple road, Cuttack road, Ahalya Nagar, Ayurveda College area and other vulnerable areas from the Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) department and Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC). He also stressed enhancement of the carrying capacity of Gangua nullah to check flooding in the Capital region.
H&UD officials said around 15 natural drains and other small channels in the city have their exit points at Gangua nullah, a tributary of Daya river, pumping in polluted water. Keeping this in view, the CM ordered establishment of water treatment plants along the nullah to check pollution.
Majhi also directed H&UD officials and Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) to take adequate measures to prevent the menace of artificial flooding in Cuttack during monsoon. The CMC officials briefed him on measures in place to deal with waterlogging and sought inter-departmental coordination for the same.
Both civic bodies were also instructed to take preventive measures against dengue and other waterborne diseases during the monsoon.
The H&UD officials were further instructed to address similar issues in other urban areas across the state.