Public Utilities Still In Clean-Up Act

Public Utilities Still In Clean-Up Act
The Times of India

Bangalore: Two days after heavy rain pounded the city for close to an hour, parts of Bangalore are still recovering with a gasp.

Over a hundred trees and loose branches crashed on Friday evening alone. The debris was still being cleared on Sunday evening. In Jayanagar area, BCC personnel were still working to clear 13 trees that had been uprooted on 11th Main and 11th ‘A’ Main roads. From Monday, BCC plans to employ cranes to move the uprooted trees and broken branches as even the power saws being used have not seemed to help much.

If low-lying areas were predictably flooded, in other places like B.T.M. Layout and parts of Indiranagar, pump - sets were in demand to pump out water which had inundated cellars and basements. The Prahari squads also did their bit to clear flooded basements.

“If desilting work had been done properly, there may not have been major problems of flooding’’, points out a BCC worker. As on Wednesday, BCC engineer-in-chief Rame Gowda said 80 pc of desilting work had been completed. “The BCC has to ensure that work on clearing drains is intensified. The big and small drains got choked as soon as it rained resulting in flooding’’, explained a BCC official.

Four people were washed away in overflowing drains, but the BCC says the deaths are not related to rain.

Sewage mixes with water:

Residents in many low-lying areas including Shantinagar, Jogupalya, Indiranagar II and III stages, parts of Banashankari, Ejipura, Vyalikaval are apparently getting drinking water mixed with sewage, especially those staying in quarters or apartments. At Banaswadi, a petrol pump owner says rain water had mixed with petrol stored in underground tanks.