Solid waste and encroachment blocks free flow of water in different parts of drainage channel No. 4 in Suka Vihar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, May 23: The June 15 deadline for desilting drains is fast approaching, but the city’s natural drainage channels continue to be choked with solid waste and discarded building material.

People whose houses happen to be near these channels are having to deal with mucky, overflowing drain water while illegal encroachment in the path of the channels compounds the problem.

A spell of rain on April 20 saw residents of Suka Vihar grappling with a flood-like situation, as channel No. 4, which has caused several manmade floods upstream near Acharya Vihar, was overflowing.

“When the authorities know that the rainy season is approaching and they are already on the job desilting smaller drains, they should also take measures to clean the beds of the natural drainage channels. After all, water from the small drains will get discharged into the 10 natural drainage channels. We have already experienced a minor flood-like situation here in April. It’s high time that the authorities took note,” said Prabir Kumar Das, a resident of Suka Vihar.

Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said though the natural drainage channels were owned by the BMC, the first four were supposed to be renovated by the water resources department.

“We are committed to ensure smooth passage for the storm water in all the drainage channels,” he said.

A senior engineer of the civic body said: “Drain renovation work is on in natural drainage channel No. 1,2,3 and 4, but the usual desilting and cleaning work is yet to start in many wards.”

An engineer of drainage division, Cuttack, which is executing the project, said: “Renovation of drainage channel No. 1 has been completed on a major stretch. On drainage channel No. 4, work has been completed in parts — on Utkal University campus, after Patharbandha slum area beyond Utkal University till the railway track and near Regional Science Park. Work has not begun on stretches where government land is not available or encroachment is too much.”

Recently, the chief engineer of the drainage division, water resources department, requested the BMC authorities to speed up the land acquisition process for the renovation of the natural drainage channels.