Sambalpur: SMC Cleanup in Chaos; Streets Flooded with Drain Water, Citizens to Drown Again This Year
Rain Approaches, City Still Struggles with Waste
Sambalpur: Sambalpur has entered the monsoon season, and the Sital Sasthi festival has already begun. However, half the city’s drainage system still remains unclear. Even today, workers are pulling out solid waste from the MG Road (Ring Road) drains. Although it’s already time for festival celebrations, the municipal workers are still busy cleaning drains from Balibandha to Daleipada.
Unfortunately, they are rushing the job while they cut the weeds and grass, they pile the waste right onto the roads, turning them muddy and difficult to walk through.
Residents Voice Frustration
Mukesh Jariwal from Marwadi Pada says that due to the municipal corporation’s inefficiency, proper cleaning has not been completed even now. Major local events, like the invitations at Barad Balunkeshwar Baba temple in Nandapada, have wrapped up, and families have gathered with relatives and guests. Yet, the Sambalpur Municipal Corporation (SMC) workers are still out doing cleanup.
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For two months, locals have been demanding the cleaning of the MG Road drains, but only now are workers doing it, and even then, they’re working late into the night, causing roads to stay muddy. Jariwal also points out that not just MG Road but other areas like Mudipada are in the same poor condition. Many drains remain clogged, and in Badabazar, the drains are packed with solid waste. He questions whether the district administration has made any real preparations.
Locals Predict Flooding Again
Rajeev Kumar Tripathi from Danipali says cleaning all the drains before the rains is a huge challenge for the city. He explains that if the work had been done earlier, people wouldn’t be facing such hardships now. Every year, the same problem repeats: only when the rains come does the city remember drainage repairs and cleaning. Tripathi believes that because of this careless attitude, the residents will inevitably face flooding again this year, there’s no doubt about it.
Municipal Response
In response, SMC Commissioner Vedbhushan says daily drainage repair work is ongoing. However, they have excluded areas where eviction processes are still in progress. In some places, three-story houses have been built directly over drains, making it impossible to demolish them right now. Under the Drainage Master Plan, they will rebuild the drainage system. If needed, evictions will also happen in the future.
