Monsoon reality check

Bhubaneswar, July 21: The flood-like situation yesterday in and around Acharya Vihar has exposed the shortcomings of the drainage system in the city.

It was almost a repeat of what was seen in September 2010 when a man was stuck inside his car on a flooded street. He had to be rescued by local residents in Acharya Vihar. A moped was also washed away during the floods then.

Municipal commissioner Vishal Kumar Dev visited the area with senior officers directing them to compile a report on encroachments close to all natural drains in the city.

“A Singapore-based consultant is in the process of drafting a detailed master plan on storm water drainage system in the city. While the revival plan of four major natural drainage channels is under process with funding from Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, the remaining six channels would also be renovated soon,” the commissioner added.

Meanwhile, the Centre has formulated the national guidelines on management of urban flooding focusing for the first time on urban flood delinking it from riverine flood, which generally affects rural pockets.

It has also sent the guidelines to the state government so that urban local bodies can implement them as soon as possible. City-based activists working for urban development, meanwhile, have urged the civic administration to follow the guidelines to check the flood situation in the city.

“Bhubaneswar is different from Cuttack and Puri as it is completely a hilly terrain and there is no doubt that storm water can be cleared and reach the major drainage channel, Gangua nullah, within 30 minutes. However, now the unplanned growth and development have become a major stumbling block and the water is not drained out properly,” said Piyush Ranjan Rout, a city-based urban planning consultant.

As per the geographic location of the city there might be localised high intensity rainfall, inadequate stormwater clearance, encroachments of drains and nullahs, lack of local network of rainfall gauges with real-time monitoring and absence of early warning regarding urban flood forecasting capabilities. So, the local administration should start the process and, if needed, create public awareness about the new guidelines formulated by the national disaster management authority.

Nandanandan Das, retired engineer-in-chief, works department, said: “The topography of the city is known to our engineers and, accordingly, they can find out what should be the carrying capacity of a particular drainage channel. So, if the clearance of water from drainage channel No. 4 is not adequate near Acharya Vihar, then there should be an additional or alternative plan, proper de-silting of the channel bed or immediate eviction of encroachments.”

“The safety of the residents should be the priority of the civic administration and for a few, issue like encroachment should be dealt with iron hands,” Das added.

City engineer T.B.K. Shorf said: “The engineering wing surveyed the entire area in Acharya Vihar today and found that large-scale encroachment caused the artificial flood. While the bed of the channel has been squeezed, part of the immediate catchment has been converted to a road. When the water cannot be accommodated in the narrow available space, the extra water comes on to the road and a flood-like situation is created. We have submitted a report to the municipal commissioner and he will act on that.”