BBMP straps on gumboots

BENGALURU: With the monsoon set to hit Bengaluru city by June 4, the onus is on Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to ensure that people do not face any difficulties during heavy rains.
The civic agency is working to make low-lying areas as flood-proof as possible. At a meeting held on Saturday, the BBMP seemed to have pulled up its socks to prevent a repeat of past flooding incidents in the city.

Mayor R Sampathraj, along with BBMP officials, has identified a few low-lying and vulnerable areas. Among them are the Ejipura and parts of Bannerghatta Road where residential properties are routinely inundated. “We had identified 266 vulnerable locations after the 2017 floods and 242 culverts are being constructed in these areas,” said BBMP chief engineer for storm water drains, Bettegowda.

He said, “Desilting, remodelling of drains and construction of culverts in place of old ones are being carried out.” The most vulnerable areas identified by BBMP include Kurubarahalli, Mahalakshmi Layout, BMTC Shanthinagar, Koramangala, Kumbaragundi in Chickpet area, HSR Layout, Dollar’s Colony, Yeshwantpur and Krishnarajapuram.

On remodelling drains and construction of structures such as culverts, he said, out of the total 163 km only 145 km have been completed so far.The mayor told TNIE that the pourakarmikas in these areas have also been asked to clean of entry points of water such as drainage vents to prevent clogging, and resultant flooding.

Mayor Sampathraj said potholes in the city are being filled up by the authorities. “Roads are being restored and, if work is not completed on time, the assigned contractors will be blacklisted,” he said.The BBMP is also beefing up its teams to meet any eventuality. “21 forest department teams have been attached to the chief engineer’s team and 65 control rooms added to the main control room,” he said.  

The BBMP commissioner Maheshwara Rao said a disaster management cell is also being set up by the BBMP for tracking emergencies, and forest department officials are working with the BBMP to cut branches of trees that are in a deteriorated state to ensure that they do not fall and cause injuries or death or damage to properties or vehicles.Rao said people in distress could also contact BBMP engineers on walkie talkies and phones if they faced any trouble during rains.All teams have been alerted to monitor lifting of garbage to prevent waterlogging, he said.

Palike says
Around 3,500 pot holes identified in arterial, sub-arterial and zonal roads ;
Pothole-filling in these identified roads are in progress
Python pothole-filling machines and regular machinery deployed for the exercise
Zonal Chief Engineers instructed to get potholes identified and filled up in one week and to continue to fill new pot holes

ADEQUATE FUNDING
BBMP says zonal chief engineers will utilise 10% of total amount meant for these works for emergency works
Sufficient funds provided for Storm Water Drain works
Sufficient funds available for emergency situations