Civic body leaves us with sinking feeling

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Civic body leaves us with sinking feeling
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Yet again. Wednesday night’s downpour saw a replay of flooding misery in the low-lying areas of Bangalore. Civic officials did little more than throwing up their hands in helplessness and parroting the stock statement of how there is no concrete solution but to pull down constructions in some parts of these localities.
How, then, will tax-paying citizens of these areas cope? Are there any solutions to the perennial flooding in Ejipura, Puttenahalli and parts of Murugeshpalya that are 8-10 ft below the storm water drain bed level? No. And perhaps yes if either of these solutions is implemented: change the course of the drain or bring down the structures to widen the valley.
How do residents brave it all? For three months in a year, the routine of residents of Ejipura, parts of Murugeshpalya, Kamakhya Layout and Puttenahalli undergoes a sea change. Their daily grind begins with cleaning their flooded homes and rearranging household items.
Do you have a solution?
The BBMP claims nothing much can be done in some low-lying areas but to flatten constructions. Do you have any alternative solutions? If you have expertise in engineering, hydrology or urban planning, do suggest short- and long-term measures to prevent flooding in low-lying localities ‘No permanent solution in Ejipura’
Bangalore: BBMP engineers who have been entrusted with storm water drain regradation projects, 10 lanes in Ejipura have no permanent solution. “The valley cannot be broadened since houses are very close to it. While temporary measures, like stacking up sand bags, can be taken, there is no permanent solution. The course of the valley cannot be changed as it carries the city’s sullage and is a natural valley,’’ they explain.
BBMP commissioner S Subramanya says: “Flash floods are our main concern and we are going in the right direction to set right things. They are low-lying areas and are situated below the drain bed level.’’ How soon that plan will be put in action is the moot question. While the civic body is to be blamed squarely for the encroachments on the drain bed, the officials have been regularly collecting property tax from the encroachers. It’s thus the duty of the authorities to rehabilitate the residents.
Sample this: on a 10 feet x 10 feet plot is a five-floor residential building with the road width being 5 x 15. But Ejipura is 8 feet below the storm water drain bed level. Naturally, after a spell of rain, the roads are under sullage water. Added to this is encroachment on the drain; what starts as a 30-foot-wide drain narrows down to 15 feet. Some roads starting from Ejipura 9th Main and Ashwini Layout get flooded with 3-5 feet of water.
Residents, apart from complaining, seem to have become resigned to flooding. “It’s only for three months that we have to put up with flooding. The area is centrally situated where the real estate market is booming. We shift to the first floor when the situation gets bad during rain,’’ the residents say.