The much-awaited renovation of Bahana Nala, one of the major drains flowing on the outskirts of Berhampur, started on Saturday. Higher education minister Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy laid the foundation stone for the renovation of the 17-km drain.
The estimated cost of the renovation work is Rs 22.15 crore and a target has been set to complete the work in three years, said the minister. "It was a longstanding demand of the people of the area as the clogged drain caused waterlogging," he said.
"We have aimed to construct at least six bridges over the drain and a 6-km wall to arrest soil erosion. With the renovation, the water-bearing capacity of the drain will be increased," said executive engineer, drainage division A K Patra.
People of lowlying areas like Gajapati Nagar, Jaya Prakash Nagar, Nilanchala Nagar and Saradha Bali in the city are facing waterlogging every year during the rains. Three-metre-high drain water was flowing in the area when cyclone Phailin hit the city on October 12, 2013, and during subsequent floods on October 23. District administration had pressed boats into service to ferry the local people.
"We have discussed with the Berhampur Municipal Corporation for construction of another drain connecting the lowlying areas and Bahana Nala," said the executive engineer. It would be constructed under the World Bank-aided Odisha Disaster Recovery Project (ODRP). Construction of drains in the city is one of the components of the Rs 180-crore ODRP, official sources said.
-TNN | Oct 18, 2015
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