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DESIGN THINKING

Flood Free Bhubaneswar

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SADASIVA PADHI: UMG19008
ASISH KUMAR PATRO: UMG19003
MBA – UMG
BATCH OF 2019 – 2021
Table of Contents
1 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM .............................................................................. 3
2 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................. 3
2.1 End State ................................................................................................................... 3
2.2 Inspiration ................................................................................................................ 3
2.2.1 Understanding .................................................................................................... 3
2.2.2 Observation ........................................................................................................ 3
2.2.3 Point of View (POV) ......................................................................................... 5
2.3 Ideation ..................................................................................................................... 5
3 DATA ..................................................................................................................... 6
4 SOLUTION AND LOGIC BEHIND IT ................................................................ 7

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1 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Bhubaneswar city needs a way to get out of flooding problem because the city
remained waterlogged for over 20 hours after the city received heavy rainfall.

2 METHODOLOGY
2.1 End State
Bhubaneswar is flood free city now and the city is capable of draining the complete
rainwater naturally because of proper drainage system, there is no water logging issues
the city is facing and hence there is no water born diseases incidents and no traffic
conjunction due to rainwater.
2.2 Inspiration
2.2.1 Understanding
Bhubaneswar – the city which is ranked as the number one smart city remained
drowned for over twenty hours inundated after heavy rains between July 20-22, the
claims about the city’s efficient drainage system were proved hollow.
In the past, storm water inundation in Bhubaneswar was limited to a few low-lying
areas on the outskirts of the city. But this time, rainwater entered into highland areas
like Sahidnagar, Jayadev Vihar, Acharyavihar and Old Town area.
The National Highway 16, which on normal days remains busy with inter-state trucks,
buses and cars saw rescue motorboats sailing on it. Over seven to eight-feet-deep water
flowed on the highway. Cars and other four-wheelers were swept away like paper-boats
in the gushing rainwater.
2.2.2 Observation
1. Blockage in the flow of storm water
a. Planning is not taking consideration of natural drainages:

Earlier, the Odisha government had entrusted Indian Institute of Technology

(IIT), Kharagpur, for preparing a Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP)
for Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. The famed institute, keeping in mind the
growth of the Twin City by 2030, prepared the CDP and submitted it in
2011.

The CDP prophesied that growth would be witnessed on the outskirts of

Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. The CDP, among others, also made several
suggestions regarding land use, sewerage system and solid waste
management.

Sources said the state government, instead of implementing the CDP in

letter and spirit, made some changes that have proved costly.

But there are also allegations that the proposed CDP was also not proper and
couldn’t have made a significant impact.

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During the initial planning of neighbourhoods in Bhubaneswar, the area
even for the smallest housing street was fixed at a minimum of 30 feet.
However, only about 9 feet out of these 30 feet actually carry traffic. The
remainder is used for stormwater drainage and avenue trees. These trees and
the surrounding green areas help reduce urban flooding in the city. The
overall widths of the land earmarked for roads and streets is not determined
by traffic alone, but by the requirements for drainage.

But in today’s planning, there are narrow roads. These roads fail to
accommodate stormwater drainage and other facilities. There is also no
space for avenue trees. For drainage, 30 feet is commonly accepted as a
minimum width of the road. There is a need to increase road width in
different neighbourhoods.

Besides, a master plan for drainage is badly needed for Bhubaneswar. The
natural widths of all major drainage channels in the city should be protected,
and there should not be any encroachment, she suggests, hoping that the
Smart City’s government agencies will learn their lessons from the current
experience.

b. Illegal constructions

Construction on natural drainage systems by Bhubaneswar Development

Authority has wreaked havoc in the City which is now bursting at the seams.
That places like Sailashree Vihar, located on an elevated topography, have
started facing flooding speaks volumes about the rot that has set in. Yet, the
Government appears to be in deep slumber, unwilling to acknowledge its
mistakes and make amends. Rather, the Smart City ratings that put
Bhubaneswar ahead of Paris are flashed as badges of honour.

For a City that has been facing acute waterlogging, its drainage system has
gone from bad to worse. Many parts of the Capital, where the JICA-funded
drainage project has been complete, waterlogging has been acute, so flawed
is the execution on the ground. Moreover, a complete absence of
coordination among agencies such as Odisha Water Supply and Sewerage
Board (OWSSB), Works Department, National Highway Authority of India
(NHAI) and Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation has left denizens at the
mercy of nature as fresh problems of flooding are cropping up each passing
year.

c. Drains are silted

The Bhubaneswar Municipality Corporation (BMC) has allegations that its
not capable of clearing the drains on a regular basis and other authority like
Orissa Water Supply & Sewerage Board (OWSSB) is not working as
expected as eighty percent of the main drains don’t have concrete walls and
lack of drainage structure in the city due to lack of planning and execute the
construction coordinating with each other.
d. Poor and inadequate waste management system

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 The Bhubaneswar Municipality Corporation (BMC) is only capable of
collecting fifty percent of solid waste on an average from the available
resource with the authority and in illegal dumping of solid waste in the
undesignated places are causing hurdle in the flow of water. The uncovered
drains get mixed with solid wastes chocking the drains.

2. Water logging / flooding

a. A complete absence of coordination among agencies such as Odisha
Water Supply and Sewerage Board (OWSSB), Works Department,
National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and Bhubaneswar
Municipal Corporation has left denizens at the mercy of nature as fresh
problems of flooding are cropping up each passing year.
b. Illegal encroachments on the drains makes it difficult to clean or
maintain the drains by the Bhubaneswar Municipality Corporation
(BMC) maintenance staff.
c. Lack of coordination and planning between the authorities like
Bhubaneswar Municipality Corporation (BMC), Bhubaneswar
Development Authority (BDA), National Highway Authority of India
(NHAI), Irrigation Department, Odisha Water Supply and Sewerage
Board (OWSSB), etc.
2.2.3 Point of View (POV)
Promote collaboration within and between organisations to increase awareness and
share expertise; make the most of multi-functional infrastructure and shared space, such
as playing fields and highways to temporarily store water; use exceedance approaches
in the design of solutions to manage local flooding; make the most of opportunities
when regenerating or building new urban places, drainage and roads to include
designing for exceedance even in areas with no previous history of surface flooding;
set planning conditions and follow frameworks and design codes; use ISO 31000:2009
to assess risk levels for different stakeholders as part of the design process; manage
exceedance as part of ongoing regeneration and redevelopment; use demonstration
projects, pilots and case studies to provide confidence and inspire practitioners; ensure
that developers demonstrate that exceedance is designed for and managed in planning
applications; ensure designing for exceedance approaches are incorporated into local
flooding risk management strategies.]

2.3 Ideation
Urban flooding is of growing concern due to increasing densification of urban areas,
changes in land use, and climate change. The traditional engineering approach to
flooding is designing single-purpose drainage systems, dams, and levees. These
methods, however, are known to increase the long-term flood risk and harm the riverine
ecosystems in urban as well as rural areas. In the present paper, we depart from
resilience theory and suggest a concept to improve urban flood resilience. We identify
areas where contemporary challenges call for improved collaborative urban flood
management. The concept emphasizes resiliency and achieved synergy between
increased capacity to handle stormwater runoff and improved experiential and

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functional quality of the urban environments. We identify research needs as well as
experiments for improved sustainable and resilient stormwater management namely,
flexibility of stormwater systems, energy use reduction, efficient land use, priority of
transport and socioeconomic nexus, climate change impact, securing critical
infrastructure, and resolving questions regarding responsibilities.

3 DATA
Exposing the shoddy monsoon preparedness of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation
(BMC), an hour-long spell of rain on Sunday evening inundated several parts of the
city causing untold hardships to the citizens.
Figure 3-1 The inundated service road in front of Iskcon temple

Like last year, the service road along NH-16 in front of Iskcon temple once again bore
the brunt of monsoon rains as the entire area was flooded.
The entire stretch of the road was inundated by storm water causing a massive traffic
jam in the area. Unable to navigate in the knee-deep water, four-wheelers and auto
rickshaws were seen stranded in the middle of the flooded road.
Locals said though BMC carried out an eviction drive along the road after water-
logging last year, the drainage channels to carry stormwater were neither expanded nor
cleared.
Several other places including Cuttack-Puri road near Laxmi Sagar, Bomikhal, the road
in front of Esplanade mall at Rasulgarh, Rupali square and Vani Vihar also faced heavy
waterlogging.
Parts of the newly constructed Bomikhal flyover were also flooded after the rains.
Following the downpour, normal life went for a toss as citizens grappled with water-
logging woes.
While urban flooding and water-logging menace has become a yearly event in the city,
the civic authorities have failed to provide any respite from the monsoon misery.

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In a series of report published earlier this month, TNIE had predicted another flood
disaster in Bhubaneswar during the monsoon due to the failure of civic authorities to
desilt storm water channels and clear encroachments over drains.
But no substantial measures were taken to address the concerns.
However, BMC officials claimed that the water-logging situation was under control.
“We have alerted our zonal officers to keep an eye on vulnerable and low-lying areas
prone to water-logging. Pumps sets have also been positioned in areas where water-
logging is frequent during monsoon,” said BMC Additional Commissioner Surath
Chandra Mallick.

4 SOLUTION AND LOGIC BEHIND IT

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Reference:
1. https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bhubaneswar/2019/jul/01/water-
logging-woes-revisit-bhubaneswar-1997745.html
2. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/1bhu-
waterlogging/articleshow/70031377.cms
3. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/Heavy-rain-triggers-
waterlogging-in-Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-areas/article14405719.ece
4. https://odishatv.in/odisha/rain-fury-hits-normal-life-in-odisha-410789
5. http://www.odishabytes.com/bhubaneswar-waterlogging-woes-echo-in-
parliament/
6. http://www.urbanodisha.gov.in/Admin/Upload_Files/AMRUT/SLIPs/Bhubanesw
ar.pdf
7. https://weather.com/en-IN/india/monsoon/news/2019-10-25-very-heavy-rains-hit-
life-odisha-more-forecast
8. https://www.pragativadi.com/heavy-rain-brings-waterlogging-woes-to-
bhubaneswar-denizens/
9. http://cgwb.gov.in/District_Profile/Orissa/Khurda.pdf
10. https://www.google.co.in/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/10-measures-
that-must-be-taken-to-prevent-more-flooding-in-the-future-
a6788866.html%3famp
11. http://theconversation.com/design-for-flooding-how-cities-can-make-room-for-
water-105844
12. https://www.nap.edu/read/18309/chapter/8