No respite from rain for City dwellers

No respite from rain for City dwellers
Deccan Herald

CMC Commissioner Udayashankar noted that a permanent solution for the residents would have to wait until the rain ceased.

Pouring rain, water logged roads, damaged vehicles, and flooded houses, basements and cellars - the story continues in Bangalore.

A 19-year-old youth, Gundappa died when the mud wall of his house collapsed on him due to heavy rains on Monday night. He was resident of a slum in Tilak Nagar limits.

Three cars were damaged when the wall of a three storeyed dilapidated building collapsed in Kumarpark West limits. No casualties were reported.

Well developed areas like Dollars Colony and RMV II Stage also figured among the owe-filled areas when the accounting was made on Tuesday. Azadnagar and Vinobhanagar, whose residents are mostly construction workers and pourakarmikas made up for the regulars.

In Bommanahalli CMC limits, the civic authorities finally got into the act: portions of the compound wall constructed by a developer group near Raghavendra Layout in JP Nagar VII Phase was demolished and trenches were dug providing outlets for standing water. Bommanahalli Commissioner Udayshankar noted that the compound wall had cut-off an outflow drain from Puttenahalli Lake and the trenches would provide some relief to the residents.

He maintained that desilting and a permanent solution to the affected residents would have to wait for a break in the rains.

Mr Udayshankar, a resident of Dollars Colony said ‘During every rain this season our roads (along VI Main) have been filling up with two feet water. Houses are flooded, vehicles are damaged. There is never a response from the control room (BMP)’ He said that the storm water drain (SWD) adjoining their area was clogged with construction debris leading to the situation.

Reportedly, the western parts of the city was the most affected in the rain on Monday evening through the night. Backflow from SWDs made for flooded basements in R K Garden on New BEL Road, Venkatapura Road limits in Madivala, Sanjaynagar, Basaveshwaranagar III Stage etc.,

A resident of Gauri Apartments on New BEL Road, Mr Ramesh noted that they received help only after they pulled ‘top influence’.

“The basements of our three blocks were filled with 4 ft water. Many vehicles were damaged. They (BMP personnel) pumped out water from 10 pm to 12 midnight and then ran out of diesel”, he said.

Along Park Road in Chiklalbagh, long-time resident Mr Subramanya Rao noted “The SWD drain coming from the dargah area in Cottonpet has been diverted without providing a proper outlet and dirty water from Majestic and Balepet join it here. Half an hour of rain fills the road with 2 to 3 feet water’.

Nearly 10 houses in the low laying areas of Koramangala were also inundated.

Water-logging was also reported from RV Road and Ashok Pillar limits too.