Heavy downpour wreaks havoc in low-lying areas across Bengaluru

BBMP has started preparations to ensure such situations are handled effectively

Civic workers join hands with the occupants of a flooded house in removing the sewage water from a clogged drain which inundated many houses in Kamakya Layout in the city. Credit: DH Photo

Heavy rain on Thursday evening left at least 200 houses inundated in the low-lying areas around Kamakya Theatre, Uttarahalli, and Pramoda Layout.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) swung into action late night with both the BBMP administrator Rakesh Singh and Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta visiting the flood-affected areas.

Gupta said that the major reason for the havoc was the intensity of the unexpected downpour.

“Seventy-three mm of rainfall over an entire day is unnatural and Bengaluru received 73 mm of rainfall in just half-an-hour on Thursday. The stormwater drains(SWD) cannot handle such abnormal rain and hence many houses were inundated,” Gupta said.

BBMP has also started preparations to ensure such situations are handled effectively.

“Considering that it was summer, only the zonal control rooms and a central control room were operational. Now, we will restart control rooms in every Assembly constituency,” he said.

He added that the number of teams working on clearing trees during the night will be increased to eight. “We have 21 teams of which only three are working during the night. Now, eight teams will be put on night duty,” Gupta said.

Areas surrounding the Kamakhya theatre were worst-hit with nearly 80 houses flooded. Jagadish Naik, BBMP Joint Commissioner (South), told DH that they have been working overnight in areas around the Kamakhya theatre in the Vidyapeetha ward that witnessed inundation due to heavy rain.

“About 30 emergency response vehicles were deployed to clear the flood water. More than 150 labourers were deployed in the locality to remove silt and mud that was deposited. We have even assisted the people in cleaning underground water tanks (sump) and begun to assess the extent of the damage. Around 90% of work has been completed in the area. As an immediate relief, 89 affected houses are being provided with Rs 10,000 compensation each,” the Joint Commissioner said.

Gupta instructed the South Zone officials to prepare an action plan to repair the culvert which cannot handle additional flow.

Residents’ plight

The untimely rain caused havoc in the low-lying areas across the city. Many residents narrated their ordeal to DH “We have been complaining about the conditions of low-lying areas in and around Yelachenahalli for almost a decade now. When it rains, houses get flooded and people have to spend all night clearing the water,” said Vajapeyam Srivatsa of Changemakers of Kanakapura Road. He said that if the proper desilting process is followed, many of the problems in the locality can be solved.

Wilson Garden residents blamed it on the faulty drainage system in the area. “We have been asking civic officials to take up the development of roads, but ensure the free flow of drainage. But they fail to understand. All the roads from 3rd to 8th Cross were inundated and the sewage water started flowing back into the houses,” said Subhash of Wilson Garden Residents’ Welfare Association.

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