After heavy rains, BDA to keep sluice gates of two lakes open

Anticipating heavy rainfall in the coming days, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has decided to keep the sluice gates of Bellandur and Varthur lakes open due to the flood-prone nature of these catchment areas. Rakesh Singh, the head of the authority, made this decision during a recent meeting.

Despite this precaution, the impact on the city may be minimal. This was evident on Monday night and Tuesday morning when numerous roads were transformed into small streams and traffic congestion intensified, causing difficulties for commuters returning to their destinations. Many homes and apartments, especially in the northern parts of Bengaluru, experienced flooding.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is also in charge of Bengaluru Development, visited the BBMP’s control room late Monday night to evaluate the BBMP’s response to the flooding. He noted that engineers were mobilized in response to complaints received at the control room.

With heavy rains predicted throughout the week, BBMP’s administrator, Rakesh Singh, has directed the civic body to appoint one engineer per ward to oversee disaster management. He also instructed the zonal engineers to compile a list of flooded houses and areas to devise a comprehensive plan to prevent future occurrences.

A BDA engineer explained that Bellandur lake has three sluice gates and Varthur lake has five.

“At the moment, the water is flowing through the diversion channel. When there is heavy rain, we let the water inside the lakes,” he said. 

Rs 20 cr allocated

BBMP has recently allocated Rs 20 crore to contractors tasked with desilting major stormwater drains (rajakaluves). However, some residents have reported not seeing any significant desilting activity, such as the removal of silt or garbage from the drains. A Byrathi resident mentioned that the BBMP has yet to resume the half-completed remodeling of their local drain, which was abandoned nearly six months ago.

Commuters also struggled to ride below the Marenahalli road as the incomplete elevated road cum Metro work from where the water was gushing down.