Renovation of Bahana Nala in Berhampur begins

The much awaited renovation of Bahana Nala, one of the major drains flowing on the outskirts of this town, has started.
The estimated cost of the renovation project is Rs 22.15 crore and a target has been set to complete the work in three years, state Higher Education Minister Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy had said while laying foundation stone for renovation of the 17-km drain yesterday.
"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 considerably", said executive engineer, drainage division, A K Patra.

People of lowlying areas like Gajapati Nagar, Jaya Prakash Nagar, Nilanchal Nagar and Saradha Bali in the city are facing waterlogging every year during the rains.
"We have discussed with the Berhampur Municipal Corporation for construction of another drain connecting the low-lying 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, officials said.