Bhubaneswar, Sept. 3: A beautification and renovation drive of major water bodies in the capital undertaken by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) last year is lagging behind schedule.

However, this hasn’t deterred the civic body from submitting a proposal to take up 32 similar projects this year at a cost of nearly Rs 9.75 crore.

The BMC has completed only four of the 14 water body beautification projects that it took up last year. Of these, Chua Pokhari in Ghatikia (ward No. 28) was inaugurated on the eve of the Local Self-Government Day on August 30. Excavation work in two ponds, one in Patia (ward No. 2) and another in Nayapalli (ward No. 25), has been completed. The boundary wall around the Nayapalli pond will be taken up now. The fourth project has been the renovation of Jhara Pokhari in Pokhariput (ward No. 30). The remaining 10 projects remain incomplete.

Work at Talabania pond in ward No. 30 was stalled after local residents protested. The civic authorities had planned to invest Rs 40 lakh on this project.

The fate of Sant Tulsi Sarovar near Pahala in ward No. 4 remains uncertain because of a court case on the ownership of the land. The cost of this project was Rs 40 lakh.

The Laxmisagar lake, which belongs to the fisheries department, but falls within the civic limits (ward No. 39 and 40), is full of weeds, solid waste and garbage dumped by people staying around it. Dirty water from sewer lines flow into the lake. Encroachment is another major problem here. Work on its renovation is yet to make headway.

The depth of Haja Pokhari, one of the largest water bodies of the city near Sundarpada, needs to be increased because over 70 per cent of its area is either filled with silt or chocked with laterite soil.

Though the BMC authorities had carried out renovation work on this 26-acre water body in 2009, a lot still needs to be done.

The water body is next only to the Laxmisagar fisheries pond and the historic Bindusagar lake in size.

Councillor of ward No. 57 Krushna Chandra Sethy said: “The water body was renovated in 2009 at a cost of Rs 25 lakh, but it was a negligible amount for the kind of renovation required. As it needs to be excavated from all sides to clear the silt and also because of its rocky bed, the authorities should grant more money. I came to know that this year Rs 1.5 crore has been proposed for the water body.

“With a higher budgetary allocation, a park can be built near it since land is available on its southeastern bank.”

“The corporation should expedite the earlier plan of restoring water bodies. Delay in issuing the work order has taken a toll on the project. This time, the civic authorities must ensure that the work gets completed as early as possible,” said councillor of ward No. 49 Amaresh Jena.

The importance of the water bodies was felt even more during this year’s scorching summer when the temperature touched a high of 46.7°C. Water bodies are helpful in regulating the temperature.

Environmentalists had, at that time, slammed the civic body for failing for revive the existing water bodies.

“Water bodies are very essential in controlling the temperature. The authorities should revamp the existing water bodies at the earliest so that residents get some relief,” said N.K Mahalik, a retired professor of geology at Utkal University.

He said that rapid urbanisation had also taken a toll on the water bodies in the city.