City not yet ready for monsoon

City not yet ready for monsoon
DH News Service,Bangalore:
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 12:00 [IST]

Heavy downpour in the City on Tuesday evening laid bare the monsoon preparation by the civic agencies of the City.

Waterlogged roads, motorists wading through semblance of roads and fallen trees were all tell-tale signs of larger scheme of things ahead for Bangaloreans.
With the monsoon barely a few days away, the pre-monsoon showers in the evening were the parameter for the BBMP and the BWSSB to gauge the measures they have initiated.

Trees uprooted

While at least 20 trees came crashing down, many areas witnessed waterlogging as the drains were choked. Pot holes surfaced on some of the newly laid roads. Many roads including the Residency Road were muddy.
KH Road, Army Road and Seppings Road, Avenue Road, Lalbagh Road, Chikka Lalbagh and Garuda Mall were flooded, pedestrians and motorists in the rush hour. Seppings Road wore a look of a mini-tank with water from all directions getting stagnated. Waterlogging was reported even at Anil Kumble Circle on MG Road where the rain water accumulated for nearly an hour. Commuters had to drive through the waterlogged stretch.
Rains coupled with strong wind uprooted at least 20 trees in the City. Six trees came down crashing at Cambridge Layout, one each at Udani Layout, Ulsoor, Thippasandra, Vijayanagar, KG Road, Austin Town and Kammanahalli. The BBMP sources said branches broke on RV Road in Jayanagar and Kanakapura Road.

Residents blamed

The Bangalore Water Sewerage and Supply Board (BWSSB) has held the residents responsible for the waterlogging in many areas. “The underground drainages are not meant to be used as storm water drains. Storm water drains should be used from draining out the rain water,” said Prahallad, the Public Relation Officer of the BWSSB.
He said the problem may not emerge this time because the BWSSB has cleaned at least 15,000 to 20,000 manholes out of 1.30 lakh manholes in the City, before Monsoon. These manholes, which were cleaned this year, are mainly in the low- lying areas, said Prahallad.
The Meteorological Department said the monsoon is ‘almost in’ and there will be rainfall for another two or three days. “We can say it is not a mon soon but precursor of monsoon, which is slightly different from pre-monsoon showers. Our prediction is that the monsoon may step into Bangalore and Karnataka on or before May 26,” the Director of the Bangalore Meteorological Centre A Muthuchamy said.
He added that an upper air cyclonic circulation is developed above the Bay of Bengal off Tamil Nadu coast, is gradually moving north-west wards.
The city had received 46.60 mm rain by 11 30 in the night, according to Meteorological depatment. The Airport recorded a rainfall of 18.50 mm.
The minimum and the maximum temperature remained stagnant around 19 degree and 30 degree celsius respectively.