Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], August 12 : Amid heavy rainfall in Madhya Pradesh's capital Bhopal, a top district officer on Wednesday said the administration prepared a comprehensive disaster management plan before rains to deal with waterlogging and other rain-related issues in the city.
Speaking to reporters, Collector Priyank Mishra said meetings had been held with the Municipal Corporation, SDERF, traffic police, revenue department and road-related departments before the monsoon to prepare an action plan for both urban and rural areas.
"Before the onset of the rainy season, meetings were held with all the departments involved in disaster management, including the Municipal Corporation, SDERF, traffic, revenue and road-related departments, and a complete action plan was prepared for both urban and rural areas. All the departments are working according to the plan. Most of the problems we are seeing occur every year during the rainy season," Collector Mishra said.
He said he had personally inspected several affected areas, including the bridge over the Banganga River at Itkhedi and the Banganga settlement.
"There were some issues, particularly in areas where houses have been constructed over drains, which can affect the flow of rainwater. But the water eventually drains out. Wherever there is a situation of continuous waterlogging, we will pay more attention," he said.
The Collector said teams from the Municipal Corporation and other departments remained in the field throughout the night on Tuesday to address rain-related issues. The MPEB, Municipal Corporation and traffic police all performed their respective roles.
He further said the immediate role of the district administration was to provide necessary arrangements during such situations, while long-term solutions would be addressed through planned works, many of which have already been sanctioned and implemented.
On concerns over pre-monsoon preparations and waterlogging after even moderate rainfall, Mishra said cleaning and pre-monsoon measures had produced results in several areas.
"There are many places where I received feedback that water used to accumulate heavily in previous years, but this year, because of cleaning, the water did not accumulate as quickly and also drained out on time," he said.
He, however, acknowledged that practical challenges remain in some residential areas.
"Urban flooding is a reality of cities. Be it Chennai or Mumbai, it happens everywhere. It is not possible to expect that not even a single drop of water will remain anywhere," Mishra said.
He added that the focus of the local administration was on ensuring that rainwater drains out as quickly as possible and that the administration responds promptly to situations arising from heavy rainfall.