Stormwater drains narrow & clogged due to encroachments: CM Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his deputy DK Shivakumar and senior officials scrambled to address the flooding situation after heavy overnight rains marooned many parts of the city. 

While Siddaramaiah was scheduled to go on an inspection of flood-affected areas, starting at 4.30 pm, he dropped the plan, citing its potential impact on traffic. He promised to conduct an inspection on Wednesday to hear public grievances, review authorities’ actions and issue necessary instructions. 

Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar instead headed to the BBMP war room for a virtual inspection of the situation. 

They attended debriefing by BBMP Administrator Tushar Girinath and Chief Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao. 

Siddaramaiah informed reporters that stormwater drains had been encroached upon, and the drains were shallow, narrow and clogged with silt. 

Out of a total of 859.90 km of stormwater drains, retaining walls have been built for 491 km. Construction of retaining walls is underway for another 195 km, and work on 173 km of drains is being undertaken with World Bank funds. Without proper stormwater drains, it is difficult to prevent waterlogging on roads, he noted. 

Around 210 low-lying areas have been identified as sensitive and highly sensitive. Of these, 166 critical projects have been completed, and temporary measures have been taken in the remaining 44 areas. Out of these, 24 projects are currently in progress. Once completed, the problem will be significantly reduced, he promised. 

In response to a reporter's question, the chief minister said that all were equal in the eyes of the law and that the government does not discriminate between the rich and the poor. 

Out of 4,292 identified encroachments, 2,326 have been cleared. Instructions have been given to ensure that further encroachments do not occur, he added. 

Shivakumar visited RR Nagar, Silk Board Junction and other areas in the evening.

He noted that one of the major issues contributing to flooding at Sai Layout was the vent under the railway track in Horamavu, which falls under the railways' responsibility. 

He claimed that out of 132 flood-prone points, 82 have been cleared so far. 

"The traffic police have identified 132 spots which are flooded during heavy rains. Of these, we have rectified issues in 82 spots and 41 spots are yet to be fixed. We are spending Rs 2,000 crore for stormwater drains,” he explained. 

Asked if road-widening could solve flooding, he said, "Road-widening is expensive. Flyovers and tunnel roads are the only solution. We are also looking at alternative routes. We have allocated more than Rs 1 lakh crore for metro work, Peripheral Ring Road and Bengaluru's overall development.” 

Asked about encroachment allegations regarding Embassy Manyata Business Park, Shivakumar said: "Some people have moved court regarding that. We had alerted the disaster management teams as well. Flooding has been cleared by making temporary pathway now."