Hakim holds meeting to take stock of drainage system in city ahead of monsoon

Kolkata: Mayor Firhad Hakim held a high level meeting with the Irrigation and Waterways department officials at the KMC headquarter on Wednesday, to take stock of the drainage system in the city ahead of monsoon.

This year's monsoon is expected to hit the state early next month. Hakim conducted a review meeting and issued necessary instructions to the engineers and other senior officials of the drainage department.

After the meeting, Hakim said that KMC and Irrigation and Waterways department is working in tandem in order to ensure that incidents of waterlogging can be properly addressed.

He said that KMC is ready to combat waterlogging

woes along the length and breadth of the city, akin to what they did in the wake of the cyclone Fani.

"A meeting was conducted to check the preparedness as to how the waterlogging situations can be fought. Our officials have been asked to see where the problems lie. How the KMC officials will maintain liaison with their counterparts in the Irrigation and Waterways department would be looked into. Irrigations canals are to be desilted in some stretches. Along the Majerhat Bridge, there are some obstructions due to work carried by the Public Works Department (PWD). In some areas, drainage lines have been damaged due to piling works," Hakim said.

He also said that there is a possibility of waterlogging in Kidderpore. There are perpetual waterlogging problems in some wards of Behala as well. "Our engineers are visiting the places on Thursday. They will talk to the PWD engineers. They will finally submit a report to me," the Mayor added.