Motor pumps deployed to flush out wastewater from Nadikula Sahi into the main drain. Picture by Badrika Nath Das and (below) file picture of waterlogged Nadikula Sahi

Cuttack, July 31: People residing in the low-lying Nadikula Sahi of Sikhapur can now heave a sigh of relief as the civic body has swung into action to prevent waterlogging in the locality.

Sources in the Cuttack Municipal Corporation said a proposal had been made to upgrade the existing drainage channel for facilitating easy discharge of rainwater from the locality.

Earlier, there were problems in discharge of wastewater as the tertiary drain was at much lower level than that of the road and the main drain.

“An estimate of nearly Rs 8 lakh has been prepared to raise the height of the main drain, besides other peripheral activities,” said local councillor Pradyumna Pradhan.

Pradhan said the level of the road and the tertiary drain would be raised, so that there was no accumulation of rainwater.

At present, wastewater from Nadikula Sahi and nearby localities is being discharged into the main drain through motor pumps.

A local resident said wastewater from the locality was earlier being diverted through a major surface drain into the main storm water channel No. 2 via Mahanadi Vihar.

But, as the existing surface drain, which is connected to another drain at Mahanadi Vihar, has been lying defunct, urgent measures need to be undertaken for its revival.

“Desiltation of the rainwater collection channel has already started, while work for raising the height of the tertiary drain and the road would be carried out after finalisation of the tender for the project in the next couple of months,” Pradhan said.

On July 22, the local residents had gheraoed Cuttack-Choudwar MLA Pravat Biswal to protest against repeated waterlogging in the locality.

“We are living here in a very unhygienic condition as wastewater enters our homes every time there is a rainfall. This has been the situation for the past nine years,” said Kailash Rout, a local resident.

Rout said that despite repeated complaints, the civic body had not initiated measures to resolve the waterlogging problem in the area.