Drainage pain for GGP Colony

BHUBANESWAR: GGP Colony's cup of civic woes is spilling over. Poor drainage, encroachment, congested lanes, rising anti-social activities - you name it and you have it here.
To begin with, the GGP Housing Board Colony Primary School premises have turned into a permanent pond of sewerage water, thanks to poor drainage.
During the heavy rain that followed cyclone Phailin, the entire school premises was under waist-deep water.Since then, the water has not receded.
"Poor drainage is the reason for this mess. The sewer from the adjoining locality has been channelized into the school premises which does not have boundary walls on all sides. After even a 15-minute drizzle, the entire area is flooded with sewer," Manasi Satpathy, a local resident, said.
"We have often raised this issue at various quarters, but the problem still persists. The stagnant water has turned into a permanent breeding ground for mosquitoes and other insects. The classrooms are inundated, too," said a teacher who has taught here for over 20 years.
"Developed in 1987 for only 700 families, GGP Colony today is home to more than 2,000 families. Majority of house owners have violated civic norms and built multi-storeyed houses. Most of these buildings have been rented out. The population has increased by four times, but the civic amenities have not been developed accordingly," local corporator Pratap Kumar Routray said.
Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said, "GGP Colony is a low lying zone and the water from Rasulgarh, Bomikhal and Jaydev Vihar also pass through the adjoining main drain near the colony. Plans are afoot to repair and modify the entire drainage system in the area."