Malda: The installation of jack-pushing hume pipes to improve the drainage system in the area under English Bazar Municipality (EBM) is finally complete. Currently, construction of chambers for the treatment of sewer water is underway. Officials expect that by the end of May, the EBM area’s main drainage system will be fully connected to the Mahananda River bidding adieu to waterlogging in different wards during monsoon.
Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury, chairman of the civic body, stated: “Next month, we will connect the drainage system directly to the Mahananda River. This will offer a permanent solution to the issue of waterlogging during the monsoon season.”
He explained that hume pipes have already been jack-pushed from the Ramnagar Kachari area to the river. “Though we are not connecting the system directly to the canal yet, we are building several chambers which will be regularly cleaned. Our aim is to purify the sewer water before releasing it,” he added.
The decision to alter the drainage system’s course was taken to protect EBM area from severe waterlogging during the rainy season. The hume pipe jack-pushing work began on March 4, with large pipes being pushed underground beneath the main road at Ramnagar Kachari and then under the Mahananda embankment to the river.
This work is now in its final stages and is expected to be completed within the next one-and-a-half months.
The municipality had previously taken temporary measures to tackle waterlogging in 2022, when a canal was dug from the Regulated Market to drain rainwater into the Mahananda River ahead of the Durga Puja festival. Although that move was successful as a trial, a permanent solution was deemed necessary. Therefore, the decision was made to construct a permanent canal.
The project began with satellite imaging to map the drainage pathways.
The financial proposal for the entire project was then submitted to the state government, following which the North Bengal Development department provided the necessary funding.
Additionally, three large chambers are being constructed as part of the project. These chambers are expected to treat a significant portion of the dirty water before it is discharged, according to the Choudhury.
Once completed, this project is expected to bring lasting relief to EBM residents who have long struggled with waterlogging during the monsoon months.