Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation reviews 50-year drainage master plan

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has reviewed a draft 50-year master plan developed by IIT Roorkee to address recurring urban flooding and waterlogging in the city. The plan, prepared following a February 2025 agreement, treats Bhubaneswar as an integrated urban watershed to ensure that drainage improvements in one area do not exacerbate flooding in others.

Key proposals include widening major storm water channels by up to 40 metres to increase carrying capacity. The strategy also emphasizes strengthening blue-green infrastructure, such as protecting water bodies and natural drainage corridors, alongside groundwater recharge. To enhance flood management, the plan suggests implementing non-structural measures including SCADA-based monitoring, level sensors, flood alarms, and early-warning systems.

The draft covers approximately 256 square kilometres of the BMC area and accounts for projected population growth over the next five decades. In addition to drainage, the BMC discussed the potential merger of surrounding panchayats to extend urban civic amenities, as well as progress on a biogas plant at Meherpalli for waste-to-energy production.