Almost incessant rains on Sunday waterlogged many areas of this ‘Smart City’, giving a harrowing time to the residents and throwing normal life out of gear.
Commuters as usual like every year had a tough experience in reaching their destinations as the roads in the busy thoroughfares virtually turned into rivers. Motorists had to drive through waist-deep water.
People living in the low-lying areas were the worst-affected as it was very difficult for them to get out of their houses. At some places, the water entered into their homes damaging household accessories.
A resident of Acharya Vihar, Sagarika Mohanty, said they have been facing the problem for the last 15 years and have met the authorities for their intervention innumerable times but in vain. She appealed to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to solve their woes.
Another local resident said the inhabitants would hold a dharna before the BMC office and a delegation would meet the Chief Minister to apprise him of their woes.
Experts said that though the waterlogging problem has been continuing for more than a decade, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) authorities every year parrot the same rhetoric that de-silting of drains is being carried out and encroachments from the natural drainage channels are being removed.
It might be mentioned that there are ten natural drainage channels in the city which carry the storm water to river Gangua. But unfortunately, most of them have been encroached and constructions on them have been carried out. Earlier, some of the drainage channels were maintained by the Drainage Division of the Water Resources Department, but now they are with the BMC. So now, the civic body cannot indulge in any blame game.
Besides, on many major roads, there are no drainage outlets; so, it is not a surprise that they get waterlogged and cause traffic snarls. It would be better if the concerned agencies identify the waterlogged spots and take remedial measures to solve the perennial problems; otherwise, the Smart City tag would become a laughingstock, remark many residents.