JOIN USIt takes only a few spells of rain to expose the city's poor civic infrastructure. A few important junctions and low-lying areas are especially prone to frequent inundation, clogged roads and drains among others.
Traders on Avenue Road take additional precautions during downpours as the lane turns into a dirty cesspool with sewage water oozing out of damaged manholes and shoulder drains. When it rained last on June 4, as many as 15 to 20 shops were inundated. Commercial activities came to a standstill for hours as the road turned virtually inaccessible by customers.
A V Krishnamurthy, a senior citizen who runs Kusum General Stores on the busy Avenue Road complains that waterlogging has become a recurring problem here. He attributed the problem to non-clearance of silt from the shoulder drains and negligent attitude of the BBMP.
Traders are unanimous in their grouse that the drainage in this area is very old and has not been upgraded for more than 20 years.
The problem of waterlogging is city-wide. For instance, at the Doddanekkundi underpass, flooding during rains gives nightmares to the motorists and residents alike. Every time there is a downpour, the rainwater stands at three feet. This slows down vehicular movement, triggering unbearable traffic chaos.
According to Clement C Jayakumar, a member of Whitefield Rising (WR), the frequency of waterlogging has increased manifold at the underpass in recent years. He explains that there is no stormwater drain (SWD) along the neighbouring Alpine Eco Road and hence, rainwater gets accumulated at the underpass.
Besides, says Jayakumar, the sand and debris on Outer Ring Road ( ORR) at Doddanekkundi have not been cleaned from March this year due to ownership issues between the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the BBMP. During rains, debris get washed away into the drains, triggering floods on roads in the vicinity.
Similar issues plague the underpass in KR Puram that leads to Hoodi side. The Palike control room staff informs that they receive plenty of complaints of choking from this underpass. A traffic police inspector attached to the KR Puram station explains that the drains connected to the underpass are filled with muck. Since it is not cleared well before the rains, the underpass tends to get waterlogged easily. However, some desilting action is now underway. But whether it will withstand a heavier downpour is another question.