Patna,(BiharTimes): Over 500 building engineers, architects and realtors from across the country who are taking part in the three-day Indian Building Congress called for better buildings, road planning and drainage system in Patna and suggested measures to improve them.

Speaking at the seminar on Drainage System S Sinha of Pani Morcha, said that southward extension of the current drainage system would be the simplest strategic solution for the drainage woes of Patna. It would be on the lines of gutter system in New York and Paris. 

He said an on-channel treatment near Patna bypass and towards Punpun further south-east would not only solve the sewerage problem but also make water consumable adding that a plan to this effect was submitted to the chief minister almost five years ago.

The retired professor of National Institute of Technology, Patna, Santosh Kumar said the drainage system in the state capital has gone from bad to worse.

“The sewage and storm water drainage networks are separate in Patna. The storm water drainage network is mostly choked with sludge, garbage and silt, and leads to frequent waterlogging in the city. Pumping stations in the city do not work to their full capacity because of various issues, including mechanical breakdown, disruption in electric supply and garbage dumping,” said Santosh.

He said what is more appalling is that municipal officials wash their hands of from any responsibility for stopping encroachment or ban on plastic items.

Landscape architect Sujata Hingorani suggested intelligent use of bio-drainage. With a bit of different designing such as filtration chambers along the roads and non-concrete underground drains, a number of soft solutions are possible to improve channel system in a city, said Hingorani.

Delhi-based expert S S Chakraborty emphasized on holistic development of infrastructure. 

Patna Municipal Corporation’s technical consultant Deepak Baxi, who is also the executive director, Vishveshwarya Institute of Technology, Patna, added that integrated watershed management programme and collaboration with technical institutions would help solve the problem.

He emphasised the need to use the natural drainage system of Ganga to address the Patna’s drainage woes. 

The state once had a rich natural drainage system of Ganga. The drainage system of Patna was developed in 1968 and has become virtually defunct. It is high time that efforts should be taken to revive the natural drainage system as well as develop a new one with the help of advanced technology such as GPS/GIS, and participation of expert agencies such as the IITs and NITs, he added.

Citing several examples of use of technology in the national capital region, IIT (Delhi) professor A K Gosain said residential societies and student volunteers of NSS could be used as workforce to improve the urban sewerage network.