While the West Bengal irrigation department’s plan to revamp the Bagjola and Kestopur canals in the northern outskirts will be generally welcomed in the season of frequent waterlogging, the fact remains that this isn’t the first time that drainage outlets have not been cleared in Kolkata and the suburbs.
Part of the blame must rest with the politically patronised real estate lobby. Both the canals are at the core of the annual scourge ~ urban flooding. While Bagjola calls for what the government calls “overall revival”, Kestopur canal, that skirts VIP Road, cries out for maintenance.
Extensive waterlogging, in the absence of smooth outlets, is now virtually a weekly feature in the city and the suburbs. Hence the irrigation department’s plan to put in place a roadmap to desilt and dredge the two canals. Much will hinge on the follow-through and the political class, cutting across party lines, which must of necessity be taken into confidence.
The irrigation minister, Soumen Mohapatra, has blamed it on his predecessor, Suvendu Adhikari, the Trinamul renegade who is now with the BJP.
“Now that I am back, helming this department, we will try and mend the situation,” is his pledge that direly cries out for execution. Granted that the project will take time to be implemented, the plan to desilt and dredge Bagjola canal is proposed to be undertaken after the monsoon. (Hopefully, it will not be forgotten once the dry and fairly pleasant season sets in towards the end of October).
Kestopur canal, at another remove, will necessitate effective maintenance, including the clearance of silt. Bagjola canal meanders for almost 38 km and is the main drainage outlet for South Dum Dum, New Town and Bidhannagar. Kestopur canal, which overflows if the rainfall is heavy, is unable to flush out the excess rainwater due to its reduced capacity on account of the accumulation of silt.
Hence the acute urban flooding in Salt Lake, Rajarhat, parts of New Town, and the South Dum Dum municipal areas. If the statement by the Bidhannagar municipal authorities is any indication, the revival of Bagjola canal is imperative. While waterlogging is a chronic problem in upmarket Salt Lake and its periphery, there has over the years been more of tinkering than assertive action.
Improvement cannot start unless the canal is properly dredged. The natural outlet or drainage if you will has been clogged with silt and real estate construction materials. As often as not, both residents and municipal authorities wait for the water, accumulated and filthy, to evaporate or drain away.
The monsoon can yield nightmarish conditions. Confusion gets worse confounded as a substantial portion of the waterway has been taken over by the real estate operators. The problem will have to be tackled with sufficient seriousness on the part of the irrigation department, backed up with technical expertise.