The southwest monsoon is here but the civic body isn't fully geared up for it. Bear with it.
Officials claim around 90 per cent of drainage and manhole clean-up work has been done but many drains are still filled up with garbage. Patna Municipal Corporation does not have any estimate regarding rainwater drainage capacity of its sewerage system nor is there any separate storm water drainage network.
The Telegraph draws up a checklist of how to tide over monsoon maladies, while also highlighting how the civic body has fared.
l ROADS
What's required?
Repair damaged roads as also water and sewer lines for which roads should have been dug up much in advance.
Prepare for emergency repairs by stocking up on bitumen and mastic asphalt.
What PMC says it has done
Repair and patchwork on at Hardinge Road from Chitkohra railway overbridge to Gardanibagh railway overbridge. Repair work was under way on the road in front of Patna Museum on Friday. Bidding on to select a firm for immediate repairs on Kankerbagh road numbers 3 and 4, repair of damaged median on New Dakbungalow Road and of central verge between Chiraiyatand and Rajender Nagar railway overbridges
Ground reality
Owing to flyover construction work, Station Road, Hardinge Road (in front of Shaheed Veer Kunwar Singh Park) and Bailey Road (Lalit Bhavan to Hartali Mor owing to ongoing Bailey Road multi-junction project) have been dug up. Patna Junction roundabout is a motorists' nightmare
MANHOLES AND CATCHPITS
What's required?
Identify manholes and catchpits that need to be opened in heavy rain. Identify open manholes and catchpits and cover them. Clean the edges of jammed manhole lids. Apply visible markers around covers so that they can be bypassed.
What PMC says it has done
PMC records say 80-90 per cent of pre-monsoon work, like covering of 23,200 manholes and 27,200 catchpits, completed till date
Ground reality
The condition of manholes and catchpits comparatively better this time. But damaged manholes can be seen at places like Shri Krishna Puri, New Patliputra, Samanpura Road, Kanti Factory road and Punaichak. Lack of markers makes it hard to spot manholes
DRAINAGE NETWORK
What's required?
Patna has six big, 14 medium and 514 minor drains criss-crossing the city. PMC needed to dredge them so that hyacinth and garbage did not impede water flow during heavy rain
What PMC says it has done
Senior officials in PMC's New Capital circle claimed that except for Mandiri Nullah, 95 per cent of de-silting work had been completed. There are two nullahs in Bankipore circle - Saidpur canal and Shivam Nullah. Officials say de-silting is done in the former and is in final stages in the latter. Patna City circle officials claim de-silting work had been completed in eight big drains and over a dozen smaller ones
Ground reality
Garbage could be seen floating over Serpentine Nullah, Anandpuri Nullah, Patel Nagar Nullah and Mandiri Nullah. Garbage removed from many medium and small drains still dumped beside road and could flow back even after a short spell of light rain
GARBAGE
What's required?
Garbage to be collected door-to-door and from public bins twice a day. Sufficient public bins should be distributed across the city
What PMC says it has done
The civic body claims it collects garbage from all principal main roads and main roads across the city daily up to 9am. Door-to-door waste collection in 16 out of 72 wards
Ground reality
The city has improved on the cleanliness scale vis-a-vis last year. Compactors and waste-removal vehicles cart away garbage from public bins from 10pm. However, garbage is seen scattered on a few internal roads in Gardanibagh, Digha or Patna City
FUMIGATION
What's required?
Wards should be fumigated for at least two hours every day. Also, every ward should have one fogging machine
What has been done?
PMC has nine functioning fogging machines. Its empowered standing committee on March 29 approved purchase of four new machines in PMC's four circles but no progress made till date
Ground reality
Fogging is a rare in Patna neighbourhoods. Except for VIP areas, most people have not seen fogging machines in the recent past. Most of the 59 hand-held fogging machines procured in 2013 lying defunct
Silver lining
PMC procured four jetting-cum-suction machines in February. These machines can suck water into an affixed tank within minutes, giving respite from waterlogging. The city's largest colony, Kankerbagh, and neighbouring Rajendra Nagar, which bear the brunt of waterlogging every year, are unlikely to get any respite. Owing to encroachment in Saidpur and New Bypass Nullah, rainwater would now be drained smoothly from there.
