Bengaluru: Every Bengalurean looks forward to the light drizzle that turns into a heavy downpour in June, cooling the air and bringing down the summer heat. But this time around, a year has passed and residents of Vasanthnagar have not rejoiced at the coming of the monsoon. Reason: this would mean water flowing down the road, entering their houses and stagnating for a height of up to one feet on the Main road. The occupants say that the drain pipes, clogged by accumulation of silt over the years, have made the problem progressively worse.
“The officials do an incomplete job, leaving behind as much as half a foot of silt in the drain. The deposit has increased over the past year and we bear the brunt when it rains. Water floods the road, running from upper to lower areas for three days in a row. The worst hit is the 8th main road opposite Mount Carmel College(MCC), which had a foot of water collected for hours last month. There was so much water it would need 2 tankers to clear it,” said Naidu.
“Students cannot even make it to the main gate of the college because of the flood waters. There is a traffic jam too, as vehicles cannot enter. A month ago, a ‘scooty’ rider could not see the potholes under the water and crashed into a student,” said Pallavi Kundu, a 1st year student of MCC. “My house is on the lower end, and water enters, flooding my front yard. The situation is the same with the other 50 to 60 houses here. We have all had to raise our gates by 2 to 3 feet, but how much can we keep doing it if the flooding gets worse? Should we raise them to the first floor?” asks Madhavan, another disgruntled resident, with a tinge of irony.
“We know that around 5 crore rupees have been allotted to the development of this area, but we have not seen any results. Ever since the corporator got elected, all development has come to a standstill,” he added. The locals submitted a memorandum, suggesting connecting smaller drains to a larger drain in 6th main, that would help reduce flooding. The say that the corporator made multiple promises to look into it, but he did nothing.
For those residing in Vasanthnagar, rains bring no cheer. Even moderate showers result in inundated streets and flooded homes. The worst hit is the 8th Main Road opposite Mount Carmel College. The drain pipes in the area are clogged with silt and nothing has been done to clear them. The locals had submitted a plan to connect smaller drains, which they felt could help reduce flooding, but the corporator has so far done nothing, despite many assurances
Cleaning drains will take time, says corporator
DC spoke to Sampath Kumar, Corporator, Vasanthnagar
Residents say that drains have not been desilted for a year. Why is this happening?
I have been working on this. I am still estimating how much desilting is to be done and how. The entire process with the BBMP takes time as the finance department needs to give approval, the tender process takes a month and contractors have to execute the works.
Residents said they have been complaining to you, ever since you became a Corporator.
This kind of work takes 3 years to get done. Many wards have reserve funds they can use to begin work, but we did not. We were waiting for the PoW (Programme of Works) grants. We have recently received Rs 4 crore from the Nagarottana scheme, meant for drains and road repair.
The residents say they have made suggestions and gave a memorandum to you.
Yes, I am aware of that. The contractor who has to solve this issue, has already been assigned the task. He knows the solution to solve the flooding situation, but despite my repeated reminders he has not started the work.
What can be done now and how long will it take?
I have asked MLA Roshan Baig to also exert pressure on the contractor. Linking smaller drains to the main drain which was suggested by residents is already done, but it cannot work unless desilting happens. We are waiting for the rains to stop, so we can start the work. Once the work starts on a daily basis, the problem will be resolved within a month.
