Monsoon’s here, but the residents of many city localities don’t look happy. With the flooding of last year still fresh in their minds, they are worried about what is in store for them this monsoon. Welfare associations claim that the desilting of storm water drains has been real slow and that the city isn’t well prepared for showers. Aknisree Karthik reports from Ground Zero.
The monsoon may evoke the romantic in some who enjoy sipping hot tea and filling up on snacks while watching the rain come down. But for a lot of other Bengalureans, the monsoons bring a sense of dread and for good reason as they are accompanied by flooding in many low lying areas, leaving homes in a mess and their occupants angry and fed up.
While the BBMP always promises to desilt the storm water drains way before the monsoon can set in to allow the rain water to run off the roads, it nearly always fails to keep its word and this year is no different.
With the flooding of last year still fresh in their minds, people of Shanthinagar are worried about what is in store for them this monsoon. Recalling that last year many houses on Church Road, Najappa Road and Basappa Road were flooded in rain as the storm water drain nearby was filled with garbage and tyres, Mr Renukaprasad, president of the Shanthinagar Residents Welfare Association says that although the drains were cleaned last year, they have not been maintained and are again filled with rubbish.
The situation is no better in HSR Layout. Mr Chandrashekar H E, general secretary of HSR Layout Sector 2 Residents Welfare Association says work on desilting the storm water drain here began just two days ago.” Looking at the accumulation of silt, there is a long way to go to clean it," he adds gloomily.
Although sector 2 is on an elevation, its 19th Main, 27th Cross gets flooded every year owing to poor maintenance of the SWD,a according to him. "Every year over 50 houses are inundated here during the monsoon. We are keeping our fingers crossed as work has begun two days ago on cleaning the drains," he says, stressing that the people will be to sleep in peace only when the BBMP clears up encroachments on the SWD to allow free flow of rain water.
People living close to the Gali Anjaneya Swamy Temple in Byatarayanapura, are apprehensive as well as work on restoring the storm water drain here has still not been completed.
Many are also unhappy with the progress of work on the storm water drain in areas like Kodichikkanahalli, Srinivasa Layout and Avani Sringeri Nagar in the Bommanahalli assembly constituency. But the BBMP, as always, has little to offer by way of explanation or comfort although the monsoon set in well over a month ago.
Rs 800 crore allotted to fix storm water drains: Mayor
Although a lot of work remains to be done on desilting and reconstruction of storm water drains in the city, Mayor G Padmavathi insists that the BBMP is tackling it as fast as it can. "A budget of Rs 800 crore was allotted in 2016-17 and 2017-18 for the development of SWDs in the city. This is the highest ever allocation made for them,” she says.Currently, work on desilting storm water drains, building concrete drains over kacha drains, and fencing and jacketing them is on at 180 places in areas like Kengeri, Yelahanka and Byatarayanapura, according to her. Ask her why the delay and she says the work is done in packages of 27 or 28 areas and so it takes time for all the localities to be covered.
Blaming rampant encroachment of storm water drains for their flooding in rain, she points out that in many localities in the city houses are attached to the walls of SWDs when they should have maintained a buffer zone of 70 meters around them.
As for the anti-encroachment drive, she maintains it is still on, although in a more mellowed avatar. “It is an ongoing process. But in order to reduce any inconvenience to the people we are asking them to remove the encroachments themselves," she explains.
BBMP should resume its anti-encroachment drive to allow free flow of water in the city’s storm water drains.
A bleak picture
- The BBMP has 633 major storm water drains stretching over 840 kms. While primary drains run over 415.5 kms, the secondary drains cover 424.5 kms.
- The BBMP is currently working on reinforced cement concrete box drains, U-shaped RCC retaining walls, bridges, culverts, and desilting and fencing drains.
- Besides lack of maintenance of SWDs, the major reason for flooding is the dumping of garbage into them.
- Encroachment of SWDs also contributes to flooding.
- In June the BBMP informed the High Court that it had removed encroachments over 430 kms of the city’s SWD network.
