Koramangala takes the brunt

Koramangala takes the brunt
Deccan Herald

The worst-hit areas of Monday night’s torrential downpour were those along the Koramangala valley, including Double Road, Ejipura, National Games Village, 80 Feet Road, the IV, V and VI blocks of Koramangala, Madiwala and Adugodi.

A majority of the 90 complaints received by the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) control room were from Koramangala.

R Guruappa, a resident of Koramangala VI Block, woke up to a damp mattress, at 1.30 am. “There was an inch of dirty water flooding our living area. The water level kept rising by the hour, it was only after 4 am that water started receding,” said Guruappa, who was busy cleaning the muck in his house till Tuesday afternoon. Nearly 30 houses were flooded in his block.

“Our association wrote the first letter to the Mahanagara Palike, pointing out the problem of water stagnation in 1994. Several letters have been written since then, but no action has been taken,” said Guruappa, who is the General Secretary of the Koramangala Residents Civic Group.

The Association has been pushing for widening of the primary and secondary drains, and the construction of a parallel box drain to allow for water outflow.

Root cause

C H Ram, a member of the ST Bed Layout Association, said their association will approach the Department of Minor Irrigation to desilt and deepen Belandur Lake and clear the encroachments on the lake. “The root cause of flooding in our layout is that the outflow channel of the lake is inadequate and encroached upon. This is the fourth time it has flooded, and it was the worst,” says Ram. Nearly all the bylanes in this BDA-approved layout were flooded with three-four inches of water.

Meanwhile, Sheela Latha from Koramangala IV Block reported that water had entered 60 houses in her locality.

“There is flooding each time it rains heavily. Sewage water enters the sump, and the filthy smell remains for at least a month after it is cleaned,” complained Latha.

Rainwater also flooded about 200 houses in the Indira Gandhi slum, and basements of several flats at Ashwini Layout.

A fire engine had to be called to pump the water out.

Meanwhile, BMP Superintendent Engineer (Storm Water Drain) Mritunjaya said the desilting of the Koramangala Valley was on, and its completion could control the flooding in these areas.

“Desilting of the Belandur Lake should also be taken up, as this is the collection point of rainwater. However, this lake does not come under BMP jurisdiction,” Mritunjaya added.