Drainage is one area of concern in the Municipal Corporation of Cuttack (CMC) where reforms have failed to take off properly, resulting in money flowing down the drain. Year after year, the civic body has been taking up the task of de-silting of drains before arrival of monsoon with the primary objective of preventing large-scale water-logging due to blockages and obstructions in drains following showers.
Despite the fact that lakhs of rupees are being spent every year on the project, the problem persists. The reason, locals allege, is the lackadaisical attitude of the officials and contractors deputed for the task. Though May 31 was the deadline for completing de-silting of as many as 256 drains including two main storm water channels stretching up to 25 km, branch storm water channels, tertiary drains and surface drains, work at many places is still on. Surface drains within many colonies have not been cleared till now and at many places where some amount of de-silting work was done, the silt was not cleared off the road for days resulting in the excavated garbage again entering the drains post a spell of shower. At several other places, locals alleged, the de-silting was done superficially by workers of agencies hired by the CMC.
In Cuttack, areas like Gamandia, Bania Sahi, Friends’ Colony, Pattapola, Suta Hat, Tala Telenga Bazaar, Sheikh Bazaar, Rausapatna, Gandarpur, Kalyan Nagar, Badambadi Labour Colony, Mahanadi Vihar, the satellite township of CDA at Markatnagar, High Court Colony, Ganga Mandir, Buxi Bazaar and Thoria Sahi face severe water-logging every year as drains remain choked with muck. At CDA, there have been several agitations in the past over faulty drainage system and resultant water-logging in different areas. ‘’Broken drains and water-logged roads are the common sight in Bidanasi. We had bought land here 10 years back as we were promised that this developed township would have wider roads, efficient sewerage and underground drainage system. But nothing has been done,’’ alleged Pitamber Hota, a teacher and a resident of the area.
At Badambadi, rainwater stands on the busy Badambadi Road for several days as the road is at a lower level than the branch drain channels and due to lack of sloping, the water does not flow downwards.
Civic authorities, on the other hand, claimed that all drains of the city have already been de-silted. ‘’The first round of annual de-silting exercise covering cleaning of the two main storm water channels, a network of 29-km branch drains by the engineering section of the Municipality was over by June 15 and the surface drains have been cleaned by the staff of City Health Officer of the Municipality. A supervising team has been formed which is now going around places that face water-logging every year and whereever they are finding that de-silting work has not been done properly, we are undertaking second phase of cleaning work,’’ said CMC Commissioner Nihar Ranjan Mohapatra.
He said as a part of CMC’s rain preparedness this year, the engineering department has repaired and installed 150 pumps in various low-lying areas. ‘’Moreover, four gates of the two main storm water channels at Khannagar, Matagajpur, Gulgali and Jobra will be opened for faster flow of drain water from low-lying areas,’’ Mohapatra said, adding that the control room will be open 24X7 and as and where required, a team of civic staff will be sent with pumps to clear water-logging.
Due to Cuttack’s topography, drainage of storm water had been a major cause of concern. The century-old drainage system of the city had been grossly inadequate compounding the woes. Therefore de-silting of drains before monsoon is always given priority, said officials in the engineering department of the CMC. Mayor Saumendra Kumar Ghose said widening and deepening of tertiary drains, reconstruction and renovation of culverts in several parts across the city have been completed.
