Renovation Of Taladanda Canal Using Ccgm Lining Technology From Rd00 To Rd1.5km – Odisha construction corporation Limited

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Beautification of the Taladanda Canal in Odisha

The Water Resources Department works under the Government of Odisha to manage water supply and irrigation in the state

Problems:

Taladanda main canal is an oldest canal constructed during British Era originating from River Mahanadi at Jobra extending upto Paradeep industrial area. It passes through Cuttack Millenium city. The 1.5km stretch of the canal was filled with garbage that was generating a foul smell and looked more like a drain than a canal. The canal embankment could not be used for service purposes. This oldest canal was encroached by slum dwellers and was looking shabby. Decision has been taken by the Government of Odisha to upgrade SCB Medical College & Hospital, Cuttack to a world class multi-specialist hospital providing all modern amenities to extend the best healthcare system in the state. Simultaneously, de-congestion of Cuttack city in general, beautification of the surrounding of SCB, clearing the unauthorized encroachment, construction of six lane road on Taladanda canal, cleaning of canal and lining of Taladanda Canal for 1.5 Km length from Jobra to Ranihat bridge are some of the major components of the work. The problems faced by the Water Resources Department, Government of Odisha had multifolds.  

The canal bank was encroached at multiple places making it difficult to make a uniform slope for the canal. There was garbage dumped on the site of the canal, which made it difficult to undertake the beautification work. The canal was smelling very bad because of sewage being dumped into it rendering the canal embankment not usable for service purposes. This made the workers in a difficult position at work to begin with. The removal of encroachment from the canal slope and rehabilitation of slum dwellers was a complex issue. The unhygienic look of the canal was disturbing the aesthetic look of the city and caused inconvenience to the pedestrians. The construction through conventional methods would have taken a long time and could have increased the cost of the project. The canal was in the city and it had limits the authority removing trees to resume construction works presented another set of problems. The utilities such as telephone lines also had to be removed and all this had to communicate with concerned authorities providing such utility services. 

Solutions:

The Water Resources Department (WRD), Government of Odisha is entrusted with improvement works of Taladanda canal which were completed within a very short period. Water supply through Taladanda Canal is critical in supplying water to Paradeep Port area throughout the year besides providing irrigation to nearly 63,751ha of land through it’s system during both the Kharif and Rabi seasons. Hence the Government of Odisha took only short closure of the Canal for rejuvenation work of Canal from Jobra to Ranihat. In order to complete the work with quality by adopting the best suitable methods, various alternative methods were examined too. The cost of the rejuvenation work through construction of RCC trough walls upto road formation level cost Rs.83 crores which was very high and time consuming. On the other hand, the alternative proposal of improvements using Cementitious Composite Geo-Synthetic Mattress (CCGM), a new technology widely used in various European countries and few states in India was thought of. Apart from the quality, which is the prime objective, the new technology is felt to be cost effective and from construction point of view, it requires less time. So, the efficiency in the work achieved after endorsing best practices available around  the globe. 

Outcomes:

The beautification of the canal improved the visual aesthetics of the city and created a recreational hub for the residents. The flow of water in the canal was restored and the water was made clean after careful policy interventions. The use of Cementitious Composite Geo-Synthetic Mattress (CCGM) technology for construction was taken up for the first time in the state, This saved both time and money. The decision of rejuvenating work was taken by the Water Resources Department, Government of Odisha took up the canal lining technology – Cementitious Composite Geo-Synthetic Mattress (CCGM) and awarded the work to Odisha Construction Corporation to complete it by March 2021. M/s Odisha Construction Corporation Ltd. took up the work on war footing basis and completed the work by March 2021 only at a cost of Rs.23.41 crores which was much lower than the estimated cost with available traditional construction technologies. The project is an outcome of successful coordination of various departments and agencies such as Works Department, H&UDDeptt (Municipal Corporation), Energy Department, Telecom services apart from the Water Resources Department and the citizens. The success of the project is encouraging and these types of initiatives can also be repeated elsewhere in the state and country. There have been additional measures taken such as the construction of GI wire mesh fencing to protect the canal after beatification- thus ensuring longevity of the project.

Challenges:

The challenges ahead of the Works Department was to construct a road prior to renovating the Taladanda canal. The canal bank was encroached at many places which made it difficult to maintain a uniform berm width and slope of the canal during widening of the road. This is why the Works Department officials had to  consult the WR officials to maintain the status-quo of the hydraulic parameters of the existing canal. For the Works Department, it was a challenge for them to make the project efficient in terms of cost and time. Another challenge was shifting the trees. The tree trunks and roots were removed by OCCL engaging excavators which were difficult and time consuming.While the utility Shiftings, the DoWR gave a short notice to BSNL and other private agencies for disconnecting and shifting and paid the cost incurred to the service providers for the same.

Innovations:

The construction work  was laid out by using Cementitious Composite Geo-Synthetic Mattress (CCGM) lining technology. The CCGM technology is new and widely used in European countries. This technology proved to be cost effective and less time required to finish the construction works.

Opportunities:

This project is one of the best examples of inclusive approach where the coordination and participation of multiple departments and the citizens laid the project a cost effective one successfully executed on time. The project is an outcome of the joint efforts by Works Department, H&UD Deptt (Municipal Corporation), Energy Deptt, Telecom services, Water Resources Department and the whole hearted citizens and local representatives. The technology used in delivering the project is also cost effective and less time consuming. The project was completed in a record time of 40days, which was very challenging considering various constraints within the city limits. It enabled the storage of the water supply in the canal along with improving the aesthetics of the locality. A new recreation hub was also developed within the city. Such technology is widely used by countries in Europe. This project should be considered as the best practices available in rejuvenating a dead canal which was more like a drain full of garbage. The technology and the inclusive approach are replicable and the municipalities and civic bodies across the states must follow the same to make cities more cleaner and lively. 

For more information, please contact:
Mr Pritam Chetan Pothal, Senior Manager, Mahanadi Birupa group of projects, OCCL, Cuttack at occlsmbkbd@gmail.com

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