JOIN USPeople living next to Sarakki lake never realised what a waterbody could do if its boundaries are breached, until their homes were flooded on Thursday and Friday.
Even after three days of heavy downpour in the city, people are yet to come to terms with the flash floods. Although water has receded and many homes which were inundated have been cleaned up, several houses remain marooned. The part of Sarakki lake near Jaraganahalli stinks to the high heaven.
The lake, spread over 84 acres, has two waste-weirs. One has been closed while the other has been converted into a box-type drain, which has been completely choked with plastic disposables. There is no outlet for excess water, except for flooding the entire Jaraganahalli and the surrounding places.
Lokesh, a resident, could not drain the water from his house. Built below the ground level, his house has become a pool. He tried to pump out the water but the ground water level in the area has swelled. “If it rains today, my house will get completely inundated,” he said, clearing the blockage in the side-drain.
Families living near the lake recalled the Friday horror when the whole area converted into a lake. “I felt the lake is going to swallow all of us. The water level was increasing alarmingly. We just prayed to God that it doesn’t rain anymore,” Sharadamma said.
BBMP staff have been working round the clock to clear the blockage but they are yet to achieve success even after three days. A senior BBMP engineer said, “For the last three days, I have been heading for the lake in the morning and returning home in the night.”
DH News Service