Nagpur: Even as the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has reached out to Central Water and Power Research Station ( CWPRS ), Pune, to study the Vivekananda statue posing a potential flood risk , it has started hunting for alternative sites for relocating the statue. NMC commissioner and administrator Abhijeet Chaudhari informed TOI that CWPRS has been tasked with conducting a comprehensive hydrological analysis of the dam’s spillway to assess the potential obstruction caused by the statue. The CWPRS will also carry out a detailed study of the statue’s current location and proposed new sites.
The assessment will consider factors such as soil condition, water leves, and the overall feasibility of relocating the statue. If the study reveals that the statue does not contribute to flooding, then there is no question of shifting. “However, if it obstructs the river flow, then as a contingency plan, we are also exploring alternative locations where the statue can be relocated if necessary,” said Chaudhari.
NMC is scouting for suitable sites in the city for the potential relocation , with Sakkardara Lake and Krazy Castle being considered due to their scenic beauty and the availability of ample space for the memorial, said a source privy to the development. Residents affected by the floods, who have taken the issue to the high court, have made statue relocation as their main demand apart from other mitigation measures & demands for compensation. TOI has reported that the spillway’s water discharge capacity is 320 cubic meters per second.
However, the statue, positioned approximately 4.2 meters from the spillway’s edge, apparently obstructs the flow, the flood affected people claimed. The adjacent spillway channel is only 5.
7 meters wide, whereas an area of 60 square meters is required to maintain sufficient water velocity. Legally, a distance of 55 meters is required between the spillway and any structure, far more than the current 4.2 meters.
The irrigation dept has also stipulated that no construction is permitted within an area equivalent to five times the dam’s height. Despite the severe flooding last year, which resulted in over Rs 300 crore in damages to more than 25,000 private properties, no significant long-term flood mitigation efforts have been implemented. While the widening of Nag River within the Seven Wonders premises of MahaMetro and the statue’s relocation have been proposed, these measures remain incomplete even today after the September 23, 2023 mayhem which left a trail of destruction.
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