Bengaluru: Corporator's brainwave floods residents' houses

Bengaluru: The monsoon is proving to be a hell for the residents of L.N Reddy Garden at H.B.R Layout, Kariyanapalya as rainwater from the road in front of their houses flows under their gates and floods their houses. The problem started around four weeks ago when area corporator P. Anand decided to build a wall-to-wall concrete road, which was a foot higher than the earlier tar road.

“They covered the roadside drains with concrete, leaving no place for rainwater to go out. Because the concrete road is at a height, my garden and my neighbor’s front porch got flooded. I had to spend considerable amount of money to build a chamber pot to allow the waste water to drain out. The excavator machine used to carry out the works has broken the borewell connections. Also, the concrete road does not allow rainwater to seep into the ground which will affect the water table in the surroundings. The families that depend on borewell water will be affected by this,” said a resident, on condition of anonymity.

“An apartment building is being constructed at the beginning of the road. Dirty water from there flows into my house. I spent Rs 15,000 to raise the level of my gate by 11 inches,” another resident said.

“Initially, when I complained about lack of drains, they said there would be a depression in the middle of the road which would allow the water flow out, but it was never constructed,” said another resident, who had to build a 6-inch bund at her gate.

“Legally, the road leading to an apartment should be at least 40 ft wide. We think the road was concretised to increase the width,” some residents said. They claimed that the road was built without their permission. But corporator Anand said, “Before building the road, we asked them if they wanted tar or concrete, and the majority said they wanted concrete.”

He said, “There is a storm water drain at the end of the road and the water flows there. There is no flooding and I think what I have done is right. If I put a drain, the road width will decrease. If the residents have a problem, they can complain to me and I will look into it.”