Demand for the Gobari river water treatment plant (WTP) and drainage system grows in Kendrapara.
Previously, the two proposals were sent by the State Urban Development Department for approval but suffered red tape. Restoration of the existing drainage system badly needs the attention of civic authorities.
If the files will not be approved before the rainy season and the project is finished on time, several places in town will get submerged in water and keep the residents waterlogged.
In this regard, a master plan was prepared by Odisha Water Supply and Sewerage Board (OWSSB) and TTI Consulting Engineers (India) Pvt Limited jointly in 2017. Then, it was proposed to install a WTP at Indupur village under Kendrapara tehsil.
A detailed project report (DPR) was made by the Urban Development and Drainage Department with an evaluated price of Rs 19 crore 47 lakh, which had not made any improvement.
Earlier, the erstwhile civic body had tried the first drainage system and WTP. It was decided that the rainwater would not be released in the Gobari river or existing canals and would be carried out outside the town via a special drain and treated in WTP, as per the proposal.
The purified water was decided to be released into the Gobari river and the irrigation canals passing via the town, thereby keeping the river and canals free from getting polluted.
Usually, service drains in the town overflow with even low rainfall. As a result, municipal waste and garbage get dumped on the roads. It is an annual issue that residents have been encountering for the past several years. Before the rainy season, necessary steps should be taken by the civic body.
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