Nagpur: After years of recurring monsoon waterlogging and three consecutive years of flash floods across several parts of the city, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has launched an ambitious exercise to overhaul Nagpur’s stormwater drainage network. Municipal commissioner Vipin Itankar has entrusted chief engineer Leena Upadhey with preparing a stage-wise Storm Water Drainage Master Plan that will serve as the city’s flood mitigation roadmap for the next 50 years.After 2023, the city witnessed a sharp rise in flash floods triggered by short-duration and high-intensity rainfall. The South-West Assembly constituency has emerged as the worst-hit region, while several localities in North, South, West and East Nagpur have also been repeatedly inundated.The July 28 cloudburst-like downpour, which submerged roads and stranded thousands of commuters and students, prompted NMC officials to change the flood-solving approach. Convinced that routine desilting and piecemeal drain construction could no longer address the city’s changing rainfall pattern, Itankar directed Upadhey to prepare a comprehensive, long-term strategy.The Wednesday meeting convened by Itankar will be attended by chief engineer, superintending engineer, executive engineers of all 10 zones, deputy engineers and assistant municipal commissioners.A senior engineering officer known for handling several key infrastructure projects, Upadhey is leading the technical exercise and has already prepared the framework for the multi-stage plan.Stormwater infrastructure created by NMC, NMRDA, PWD, MahaMetro, NHAI, MIDC and the irrigation department has evolved independently over the years, with little coordination or consideration of the city’s natural drainage pattern and future urban expansion. Officials believe this fragmented planning has significantly contributed to recurring floods.The first stage proposes setting up a Project Management Unit (PMU) under NMC, bringing together all stakeholder agencies to coordinate planning, share data and ensure future infrastructure projects follow a common drainage blueprint.The next phase involves appointing a specialised consultant to prepare Nagpur’s first comprehensive Storm Water Drainage Master Plan. The consultant will conduct differential global positioning system (DGPS) and drone-based topographical surveys, create a GIS-based inventory of every drain, culvert, bridge and natural nallah, and develop hydrological and hydraulic models using long-term rainfall data to identify flood-prone locations, bottlenecks and capacity constraints.Based on these findings, the consultant will recommend structural and nature-based interventions, including trunk drains, detention ponds, pumping stations and recharge structures, besides restoring the Nag, Pili and Pora rivers and natural nallahs through desilting, widening and removal of encroachments.
