TAKING EVASIVE ACTION

TAKING EVASIVE ACTION
Another monsoon that gave many residents sleepless nights has come to a close. The BBMP has identified 22 sensitive areas and decided to prepare for the next season.
Aarthi R | TNN

Bangalore: After the rains, it is now time for the BBMP to take stock of the situation and learn its lessons. And there is good news for those who braved the floods and waded through knee-deep water. The agency has zeroed in on 22 vulnerable areas that were flood-hit and where work will be initiated to counter potential damage by the next monsoon.
This stands in stark contrast to the list of 257 such sensitive areas identified earlier.
After a detailed survey of the areas flooded this season, the palike has made some interesting observations. Places like Silk Board Junction, Puttenahalli and Chunchaghatta, once known for being regularly affected by inundation, do not feature on the list of 22. The year-long drain works in these areas are said to have given the residents much relief.
On the other hand, many of the areas listed were affected not more than once. While many core areas in old BMP limits were unaffected this year, new areas were hit by floods.
“Flooding in most areas was due to reduced capacity of the drains caused by silt accumulation and drain outlets being clogged with garbage,’’ BBMP chief engineer (SWD) Chikkarayappa said. Most drains have a capacity of 14-16 cusecs. However, close to three lakh cubic metres of space is filled with soil and another two cubic meters by dumped garbage and waste.
Remodelling projects
The city received 309 mm rainfall in August, which exposed the malfunctioning stormwater drains. Several peripheral areas were inundated by overflowing lakes. Flooding of lakes like the Bettahalasuru tank near BIA had a cascading effect on feeder lakes in the city, including Hebbal and Kalkere. The excess water flowed into adjacent residential areas as most of the stormwater drains were incapacitated.
Remodelling the drains is not unfamiliar to residents as they have heard it time and again from officials. But BBMP says there is no looking back. With the end of the monsoon, they intend to drain out most of these issues within a year.
Work on the much-awaited Hebbal package is expected to begin shortly. The 18-crore project will focus on areas around Hebbal like R T Nagar, Ganganagar, Chamundeshwarinagar and the localities between Bellary Road and Kavalbaisandra village. The development work will include increasing height of retention walls and remodelling of the drain culverts.
“The existing capacity of most of these drains is 14-16 cusecs but considering the current inflow, we need to increase it to 27 cusecs,’’ Chikkarayappa explained. Tenders have been called for and once finalized, the project will be completed in a year’s time.
Fifteen such remodelling packages are already planned under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission and work on most of them is under progress.
SENSITIVE AREAS
RMV Layout ISRO Bhavan Hennur Road Sai Layout Kaggadaspura Dodanekundi Seegehalli - near K R Puram CPRI quarters Shivajinagar Assaye Road HAL II Stage Jeevanahalli Amarjyothi Layout Tata Nagar Defence Enclave Sahakarnagar Nagavara Yogeshnagar Thigalarathota, Gangodahalli Herohalli Peenya Industrial Area Rajagopalanagar