New SWD to be built in Shantinagar to avoid floods during rain

A new stormwater drain (SWD) will be built near the Shantinagar BMTC bus depot at a cost of Rs 15 crore to make way for rainwater to drain out and avoid waterlogging in the locality.

“The present SWD cannot sustain the amount of water if it rains like last week,” said Bangalore Development Minister K J George, during his inspection in the rain-affected areas on Saturday morning.

A portion of the retaining wall of the SWD collapsed during the heavy downpour, which led to waterlogging in the nearby houses. Residents and workers of BMTC complained that it was not a new problem and sought a permanent solution from the minister.

“The entire area was flooded and all the equipment inside the bus depot were damaged. The BMTC bus depot has incurred huge losses due to this, since it is in a low-lying area. It is best to build a separate SWD to divert the flow of water,” said George. “The silt in the existing SWD will be removed and the depth will be increased to avoid overflow of water,” he added.

BBMP commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad said a topography survey will be conducted to know how to implement the plan. A senior official of BMTC said even though there was a plan to build a new SWD for the past 10 years, it was not implemented.

K M Nagaraj, director of BMTC, said, “The minister has asked for an estimate to build the SWD. It may come to about Rs 15 crore. We will file an estimate after conducting a survey.”

DH News Service