SAMBALPUR: The season’s first major monsoon shower on Thursday evening presented a test for Sambalpur Municipal Corporation (SMC)’s preparedness as it brought large parts of Sambalpur and Burla to a standstill, exposing glaring deficiencies in the city’s stormwater drainage network.
Several roads were submerged under two to three feet of rainwater within minutes of the downpour, while storm water entered houses in low-lying localities and flooded underpasses, disrupting traffic and normal life. The widespread waterlogging once again renewed cocnerns over the delay in implementation of the comprehensive water drainage project announced nearly two years ago.
Among the worst-hit areas were Modipada Farm Road, Dhanupali, Laxmi Talkies Road, Pattanaikpada, Poddar Colony and the Khetrajpur railway station. Water also accumulated at Sakhipada Jagannath Colony underpass and along the stretch from Fraser Club to the old Municipal Girls’ School. In Ainthapali, the road leading to Remed remained submerged till morning, causing inconvenience to daily commuters and schoolchildren. Similarly, in Burla, several stretches of road in the town witnessed severe waterlogging.
Residents alleged that overflowing drains and rainwater entered houses. Overflowing drains and water entering residential areas have become an annual monsoon ordeal, they said. During the recent Sital Sasthi festival, the SMC claimed to have cleaned the drains but the picture on the ground was contrary to it. During a norwester-led rainfall last month, the city had witnessed a similar situation.
The city, presently, has around 548 km of drains, many of which are in poor condition. While the demand for a comprehensive stormwater drainage system in Sambalpur gained momentum after recurring flooding over the past few years, on July 5, 2024, Union Minister and Sambalpur MP Dharmendra Pradhan announced the state government’s plan for preparing a drainage master plan for the city. Subsequently, SMC signed an MoU with Ecometrics Consultants Pvt Ltd on August 13, 2024 for preparation of the master plan and detailed project report (DPR). Though the survey has since been completed, the execution remained on backburner.
“A city cannot claim to be smart or modern if a single spell of rain brings normal life to a standstill. The drainage master plan must move beyond files and translate into work on the ground before the situation worsens further,” said president of Sambalpur Nagarik Kalyan Samiti, Mahendra Mishra. The city has been witness to major water-borne disease outbreaks.
