A picture of the Talabani pond in 2011 . Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 23: What years of civic effort could not do, Phailin did.

The dry Talabani pond near Bhakta Madhu Nagar is overflowing at its brims, thanks to the heavy rain that the cyclone had induced.

Across the state, victims of Phailin’s rage are cursing the storm, but residents of Bhakta Madhu Nagar here have a different story to tell. The people of the area are all smiles because the local Talabani pond has been recharged after years.

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation has prepared a renovation plan of Rs 42 lakh for the Talabani pond. However, even after constructing retaining wall on three sides, the pond could not hold enough water. Hence, the corporation was planning to fill the pond with water from a bore well or draw water through a pipeline from the Khandagiri-Pokhariput area.

As the Talabani pond was lying dry in the past, kids of the nearby colonies used it to play cricket and football. Their friends used to sit on the banks and cheer them.

“We are very happy that the pond is now filled with water. We were facing a lot of problems since there was no water body in the area to meet our daily needs,” said Bijay Sahoo, a resident of Bhakta Madhu Nagar.

Corporation authorities also lost interest as local residents opposed a drive to evict encroachers from one of the banks of the pond. The residents staged a dharna in front of the excavators and forced the team to return.

“We had spent around Rs 30 lakh on the project. The renovation work will shortly be completed,” said Hruday Ballabh Samantray, councillor of ward No. 30.

Pitambar Parida, a resident of Pokhariput, who comes to the area for morning walk every day, said: “Water is overflowing from the pond. The adjacent road looks like a stream as water flows down to Bhakta Madhu Nagar. A stream in the nearby area has also become recharged after the city received around 170mm of rainfall in the aftermath of Phailin.”

Children of nearby areas, such as Pokhariput, are making full use of the opportunity by spending time in the overflowing water body.