BBMP bleeds Rs 98 crore as rains wash away asphalt from newly-laid roads

Incessant rains battering the city for the past 15 days have damaged all major roads, leaving the BBMP with a Rs 98-crore loss.

More frustrating for citizens and civic authorities would be the reemergence of potholes on recently repaired roads as rains washed away asphalt. The civic body has asked for special grants under the state relief fund to fix the damage.

It has been learnt that the Rs 98-crore damage only concerns major roads sprawling over 1,000 kilometres, while a separate survey is under way to assess damages on the remaining roads. “We’re currently mixing some quantity of cement to temporarily fix the potholes as no other solution is working,” Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Engineer (Road Infrastructure Division) B S Prahlad said.

The civic body, which had briefly resumed pothole-filling, has paused it following heavy rains since last week.

“We’re seeing low-intensity rains for a longer duration almost on a daily basis, which is highly detrimental to roads,” Prahlad added. The civic body stopped pothole filling work it resumed briefly due to heavy rains since last week.

In areas like Yeshwanthpur, Indiranagar, Koramangala and Hennur, potholes filled with asphalt from the BBMP’s Kannur plant has been washed away.

“We can start asphalting only when the roads are free from moisture. This requires three days of continuous non-rainy days. Whatever is the quality of the bituminous mixture, if the receiving layer is not dry, the work tends to go to waste. About 60% of our roads fixed have been damaged again,” a BBMP official said.

The steady fall of rain-battered roads out of shape and character, making commuting more challenging in the city. V K Srivatsa, a resident of Hemmigepura, called for a system to ensure high-quality asphalting work. “The BBMP keeps blaming the rain for
their inability to fix broken roads. What are the engineers doing in the summer? And why should the same road be asphalted every year?” he asked, adding that the BBMP should be held accountable.

SWD proposal

The heavy rains forced the BBMP’s stormwater Drains division to propose a Rs 400-crore proposal to undertake 120 works, a majority of which is for remodelling stormwater drains on the outskirts, especially in RR Nagar and Dasarahalli zones.

By constructing retaining walls along the drains, the BBMP plans to transport excess water from the lakes to the outer areas. Officials point out that 88 city lakes had breached in the last couple of weeks, flooding houses and roads. The BBMP has already built concrete walls along the 440-km of drain network.

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