Drain remodelling slow; courtesy encroachments

Drain remodelling slow; courtesy encroachments
Deccan Herald

Just about 15 per cent progress is achieved in the Rs 490 crore Storm Water Drain (SWD) remodelling works in the City due to the yet to be resolved issues like encroachments, obstructions from utility cables, sewage pipelines, narrow and inaccessible drains and the like, says the official report of the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike.

Joint Commissioner (Works) Harsh Gupta on Tuesday, informed the BMP Council that survey on encroachments along the SWDs was itself a long and time consuming process and the BMP was faced with shortage of surveyors too. Additional help by way of six surveyors brought in on deputation, was procured three months ago, he said.

It was noted that there are labour problems too. The presence of sewage in SWDs have meant that workers don’t stick to the work for long, he said.


A report which was submitted to the council on the occasion noted that 14.84 per cent financial progress is achieved in the SWD remodelling project across the four valleys (Koramangala, Challaghatta, Hebbal and Vrishabhavathi). The project which is being taken up under 15 packages began in April 2005 with the Koramangala Valley - Package I (SWD from Majestic to Viveknagar). For example, the scheduled date of completion of this package is October 19, 2006, but its progress is reportedly is 22.44 per cent only. The following are listed as issues affecting the progress of SWD remodelling project:

*Encroachment on SWD land

* Buildings constructed exactly on the drain walls and on the covered drains

* Buildings constructed without leaving setbacks

* Large number of cables and utility lines laid inside and across the SWD near the culvert locations

*Raw sewage entering directly into SWD from residential/ commercial buildings

* Large quantity of sewage flow observed inside SWD due to incomplete sewer system

* Due to unhygienic conditions there is frequent change in manual labourers

* Indiscriminate dumping of garbage/ debris into SWD

* Non-availability of adequate survey personnel and revenue survey details to procure additional land required for drain widening.

n Resistance to drain widening and providing service roads