Rain brings no jubilation to BCC

Rain brings no jubilation to BCC
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: When the city experienced the summer showers this year, there was jubilation. However, it had another side to it as well. If the rain brings the much-needed water, it also brings in its wake flooding, traffic jams and further damage to the bad roads.

The Bangalore City Corporation (BCC) authorities, who routinely take up road and drainage works during summer to save people from the fury of monsoon showers, are obviously cursing the rain. It has not just thrown their schedule of repairs out of gear but has forced them to attend to relief work. This time, summer has turned monsoon, albeit temporarily.

While Ugadi, the beginning of the Kannada new year, usually brings with it some cool showers, a week-long downpour is quite unusual.

The worst-hit are those living in low-lying areas. Drenched by rain, it is difficult for them to even move around in their homes. The City, especially the outskirts, is dotted with open storm water drains, and it is here that both the City Police and the BCC authorities must keep a tab. Some drains, when flooded, look like roads. A couple of years ago, a family of three, moving in a car, was washed away in one such drain in JP Nagar area.

The rains are also uprooting many trees, which cause havoc to overhead power-lines. The rains on Sunday alone felled at least 20 trees in the city. With power playing hide-and-seek and BESCOM engineers often switching off supply to prevent mishaps, people, particularly students, have no option but to rely on emergency lamps if they can afford it or candle-light in the worst case.