BENGALURU: The heavy pre-monsoon showers accompanied by gale winds seem to have caught the civic agencies off guard. The BBMP was obviously not prepared this time, despite previous bitter experiences and citizens are left to bear the brunt of the monsoon season which is just round the corner.
The Palike’s lack of preparedness is amplified in Mayor Padmavathi’s reaction to the rain havoc. Speaking from a BBMP control room, she claimed that while preparation work for the monsoon had been done, they hadn’t expected so much rainfall. “But we’re doing as much as we can. Control rooms have been set up and we have formed teams,” she added.
Water-logged roads, flooded residential areas, overflowing drains and uprooted trees have become a familiar sight over the last few days. Adding to the misery is the major works undertaken by civic agencies which are incomplete, leaving huge pits on roadsides posing danger to citizens.
The havoc heaped on citizens have raised questions on whether the BBMP even tried to assess the monsoon situation and prepare accordingly. The authorities are blaming the heavy rainfall for the problems in several areas on Saturday.
BBMP Joint Commissioner (South zone) T H Vishwanath said the BBMP was making use of a lot of technology, including high-resolution maps to identify low-lying areas. “Our teams constantly monitor the low-lying areas and take decisions on the spot depending on the situation. They are always on the move and we coordinate via WhatsApp.”
Pointing out that safety was also people’s responsibility, he said, “Citizens should stay indoors as much as possible, we also keep telling them that.” He also added that it isn’t easy when it rains heavily in a metro of Bengaluru’s size.