Houses flooded as tank canal breaches in KR Puram

Water gushed into the houses in Netravathi Layout in Krishnarajapuram (KR Puram) on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday when the canal of the Gangaiah Shetty tank was breached due to heavy inflow of water. The residents whose houses were flooded had a harrowing time as they had to keep awake all night.

There are about 500 houses in this layout. The road connecting the layout with the rest of the City was cut off when the canal broke and the area got flooded. The flooding damaged movable properties of the residents including electronic gadgets, tables, chairs, books, beds and clothes.

Residents complained that the incident happened because the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike did not give due attention to the maintenance of lakes.

The extent of the Gangaiah Shetty tank is 25.43 acres only on paper. The area has reduced to a mere 18 acres due to rampant encroachment. The natural canals of the water body too are encroached, which resulted in flooding, the residents alleged.

They stated that the government and the various civic agencies pay only lip sympathy to conservation of lakes and water bodies, but it is not reflected on the ground. The BBMP’s plan to develop a park with a walkway around the water body could never materialise, the residents alleged.

Local MLA Byrathi A Basavaraju, who visited the spot, had to face the ire of the residents who demanded improvement of the lake, its catchment areas and the canals. He assured the residents that the canal will be developed at the earliest.