The Odisha H&UD Department is drafting a comprehensive action plan to tackle urban heatwaves, upgrade stormwater drainage, and boost flood resilience
OdishaPlus Bureau
The Odisha Housing and Urban Development Department will prepare a comprehensive action plan to tackle urban heatwaves, strengthen flood preparedness, and improve stormwater drainage systems in major cities and towns across the state.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by H&UD Additional Chief Secretary Usha Padhee, which focused on developing a coordinated and implementation-oriented framework to strengthen urban resilience against rising temperatures and flood-like situations.
The plan will cover all six municipal corporations as well as major towns under other urban local bodies (ULBs), with priority being given to areas requiring immediate intervention.
The meeting discussed the preparation of detailed project reports (DPRs), funding arrangements, capacity building, technical support, and institutional mechanisms for implementing the proposed measures.
Padhee stressed the need to bring all relevant stakeholders onto a common platform and prepare a clear action plan with defined responsibilities and timelines.
She called for identifying key agencies, including the Central Water Commission (CWC) and other technical and expert organisations, to strengthen flood preparedness and ensure coordinated action in urban areas.
The department will also identify heatwave hotspots requiring immediate intervention in ULBs and draw up a set of common measures that can be implemented across urban areas.
Padhee said the immediate priority should be to put concrete interventions in place to provide tangible relief to citizens before the next summer. At the same time, she stressed the need for systematic medium- and long-term planning to build urban resilience.
Improving stormwater drainage emerged as another major focus of the meeting. The department’s urban planning section was asked to take up stormwater management on priority.
Padhee called for an institutional mechanism at the ULB level for implementing stormwater action plans, facilitating the preparation of DPRs, and providing the technical support required to execute the proposed projects effectively.
The proposed measures are expected to address recurring problems of urban waterlogging and inadequate drainage while improving preparedness for extreme weather events.
Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh Pravakar Patil and Municipal Administration Director Arindam Dakua, among others, attended the meeting.