Desilting work comes to naught

Desilting work comes to naught
Shiva Kumar N D | TNN

Bangalore: Over the last year, the BBMP has been vigorously desilting drains. The amount of silt removed from four valleys — Hebbal, Koramangala, Chellaghatta and Vrishabavati — is a staggering 2.42 lakh truck loads and about 14.42 lakh cubic metres.
Despite this, the city is not spared of its annual flooding.
According to information procured through the Right to Information Act, these figures show that the silt removed is actually more than the city’s annual garbage collection — 2.02 truck loads at an average of 2,500 tonnes per day.
If you go by these statistics, there shouldn’t be an ounce of flooding in the drains.
But Saturday’s heavy downpour, which left the city inundated, exposed the authorities’ hollow claims. What’s worse, the silt is still around. About 83.62 per cent of silt (88 lakh cubic metres) is yet to be removed. This is about 14.77 lakh truck loads, eight times the annual garbage collected in the city!
The BBMP took up the plan to remodel the 230 km of valleys under the National Urban Renewal Mission at a cost of Rs 678 crore.
The plan, chalked out in April 2005, aims at strengthening the drains so that they do not clog and overflow. It also aimed at building retaining walls along the drains to prevent overflow.
The project took time to be implemented and didn’t progress too well due to hurdles like encroachments on the drains and sewerage flow into the drains.
In any case, where did the BBMP dispose of all the silt? BBMP executive engineer M L Munikrishna says: “It is the responsibility of the contractors. They should dump it at an appropriate place.’’ Another official adds, “The silt is dumped at our garbage dumping yards.’’
And the silt? It’s stacked up on either side of the drain. One downpour and the silt goes right back from where it was removed.
Health minister wants to inspect drains
Health and family welfare minister R Ashok has taken the BBMP to task over the desilting of drains. In a letter to BBMP joint commissioner (works), he sought details of work taken up in the city, the place of dumping and the money spent on desilting. Also, he has asked the BBMP to take him to the dumping place and show him the dumped silt. In the letter, he also said, “many areas are being flooded in the city due to rains, causing damage to people’s lives and property. This is being repeated year after year, upsetting the public.’’