When it rains, it pours. The southwest monsoon is here, but the civic body seems to have done little to avoid a repeat of the problems that usually plague Bhubaneswar when it rains. Potholes have become wider, drains continue to overflow, garbage lies scattered wherever you look and fumigation to stop mosquitoes in their path is nowhere in sight. With heavy showers predicted, things can only get worse. The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation had promised a lot of measures before the rains set in, Sandeep Mishra of The Telegraph takes a look at how much it has actually delivered.
ROADS
What's required?
Identify roads in a bad condition and those to be widened, complete the work that should have been done before the onset of monsoon, complete ongoing work on flyovers and railway overbridges or make alternative arrangements to ensure smooth traffic.
What the authorities say
Repairs have been undertaken on the identified roads in Prasanti Vihar, Marutivilla Phase I, VSS Nagar, near Sainik School, in front of Nandankanan Zoo, Kapileswar Vihar and Agijala Chhak in Palasuni.
Ground reality
Apart from those identified, roads are in a bad way at Mancheswar, Rasulgarh, Bomikhal, Saheed Nagar, Niladri Vihar, Laxmi Sagar, Sailashree Vihar and many other localities. The busy Cuttack-Puri highway is in bad shape because of the construction of the Saheed Nagar railway overbridge. The authorities have not put in place an alternative route for traffic here. The condition of the road on the other side, towards Saheed Nagar, is just as bad.
DRAINS
What's required?
Bhubaneswar has 10 natural drainage channels and more than 400 small and big drains in all the 67 wards. In the run up to the monsoon, the civic body and the water resource department had started de-silting the drains last month. It should have finished the work by June 15.
What the authorities say
The work on the drainage channels has been completed. Eighty per cent of the work on the internal drains has been completed. The work is fast-paced and will be finished by the end of this month.
Ground reality
Work on the internal drains was going on at a fast pace. However, sludge removed form the drains remained piled up on the roads. The recent showers pushed the sludge back into the drains, taking the situation back to square one. De-silting is now on at prime locations such as Madhusudan Marg and Gandhi Marg, but the civic body is not taking the sludge to the dump yard.
GARBAGE
What's required?
The civic body should undertake door-to-door collection of garbage as well as collect waste from the 350 garbage collection points.
What the authorities say
2,000 additional dustbins have been set up to manage the garbage in the city during the monsoon.
Ground reality
The civic body has put in place about 1,300 dustbins at various places, and decided to provide 2,000 more for the monsoon. But, residents, many of them from Rasulgarh, said that the number of dustbins was inadequate, and they were forced to throw garbage on the roads. Also, the bins have not been placed strategically, as a result of which, garbage was strewn on the roads.
FUMIGATION
What's required?
The civic body should fumigate the wards once every day, especially during the monsoon or disinfect the drains with chemicals.
What the authorities say
Chemicals are being poured into drains in every ward once every morning.
Ground reality
The civic body has only four fogging machines in its possession, which are inadequate for the 67 wards of the city. Residents have rarely seen the civic body undertaking any fumigation activities. Residents, especially at Niladri Vihar, said they hadn't seen anyone pouring chemicals in the drains. As the monsoon progresses, fear is mounting about the attack of various vector-borne diseases.
UNDERGROUND DRAINS
What's required?
The water resources department, which is responsible for maintaining the city drains, had started building underground drains early last year and the work should have been completed by now.
Ground reality
Huge holes had been dug at many places in the city, including one near the Doordarshan office at Acharya Vihar. The pit has been lying wide open over six months, narrowing down the 10-feet wide road by three feet. Work is on, but the pit poses danger to passers-by.
