Rain ready: BBMP identifies 209 areas, forms 28 teams

BENGALURU: Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has swung into rain preparedness mode at a time when several parts of the state are reeling under monsoon fury. It has identified 209 flood-prone areas: 153 have been declared sensitive and 56 extremely sensitive.
A review meeting chaired by commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad on Friday discussed the preventive measures to be taken in case Bengaluru gets heavy rain. "We have set up sensors at 28 places to trigger alerts in advance about flooding. Directions have been issued to install them at other places too," Prasad later told mediapersons. He said the alerts would enable speedy evacuation of people before the areas are inundated.
According to BBMP officials, about 389km of the city's 842km stormwater drain network has been concretised and civic works that need to be done in areas vulnerable to flooding have been executed.
Given that heavy rain in the city is accompanied by gusty winds that bring down trees, 28 special teams have been set up to deal with tree management across localities.
Each team has been assigned one assembly constituency. They will be equipped with GPS-enabled vehicles so that their movement and deployment in contingencies can be managed. Apart from the nine permanent BBMP control rooms, 63 temporary ones have been set up to coordinate response during extreme rain episodes.
Referring to the rainfall pattern of the city, Prasad said Bengaluru was supposed to witness 185mm of rain in June and July, but received 65% excess. "August has seen 28% less than normal rain," he added.
BBMP has received a mitigation fund of Rs 50 crore from the revenue department. "We are considering setting up a radar system at a cost of Rs 15 crore to forecast flood-like situations in advance. The remaining sum will be used by engineers to devise and execute plans to minimise rain damage," Prasad said.
Contractors have been told to fill potholes that may be formed due to rain. "During rain, roads often get damaged. We have taken the necessary steps to fill potholes that are likely to appear using the hot mix plant set up by BBMP," he added.
"The contractors will be responsible for filling of potholes on new roads under defect liability period (DLP) conditions. With IMD predicting moderate rainfall during August, we'll soon complete the work," he explained.