Kolkata: Residents in large parts of Bowbazar and its adjacent neighbourhoods may face waterlogging in the months to come, as the century-old brick sewer line running under BB Ganguly Street is severely damaged and urgently needs refurbishment. According to a Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) source, the planning and development department was entrusted to take up an upgrade of the sewer line at the earliest. A KMC planning and development department official said that the civic body was set to issue a work order for the drainage upgrade work soon.
"We conducted a survey of the underground sewer line and found the age-old brick sewer line heavily silted and severely damaged in parts. We need to upgrade the sewer line to prevent flooding in Bowbazar neighbourhoods," said a senior official. Several parts of BB Ganguly Street faced acute waterlogging last Monday after a downpour, as the silted and damaged sewer line failed to carry stormwater in large volumes, said a KMC sewerage and drainage department official.
The KMC sewerage and drainage department has also taken up the upgrade of the Palmerbazar drainage pumping station, which will offer relief for residents in large parts of north and central Kolkata, including Shyambazar, APC Roy Road, AJC Bose Road, Bowbazar, Chittaranjan Avenue, Thanthania, Amherst Street, and Lenin Sarani, among others. The Palmerbazar drainage pumping station pumps out stormwater from major areas of north and central Kolkata.
A KMC sewerage and drainage department official said efforts were being made to give temporary relief to Bowbazar residents by pressing machines into service for desilting the century-old sewer line. "We have taken up desilting of parts of the clogged sewer line. But we need to exercise extreme caution in the desilting work, as large parts of the age-old sewer line are vulnerable and may collapse in case of any negligence," said a KMC drainage department official.