Bengaluru drains still choked, flooding threat looms

Work on the storm water drains was to be completed by March and the govt had released Rs 1,100 cr for it.
Accumulated debris and other waste being cleared from a storm water drain near Maharaja Junction in Koramangala valley | EXPRESS
Accumulated debris and other waste being cleared from a storm water drain near Maharaja Junction in Koramangala valley | EXPRESS

BENGALURU: This year, expect flooding in many areas across the city as soon as the monsoon sets in or even earlier. Reason: The city administration does not seem to have learnt any lessons from last years deluge as work on improving the storm water drain (SWD) network, supposed to have been completed in March, is not even 50% complete.

In spite of heavy rain causing flooding across the city last year, there has been negligible improvement in the state of the city's SWDs. Though works have been going on, almost all drains need to be remodelled owing to increase in the quantity of water flowing through them and rampant encroachment reducing their width.

And as of now, work is complete on only about 41.8% of the drains. And the SWD Department faces multiple challenges.

Last year, extremely heavy rainfall in the city was followed by flooding and waterlogging at many places, after which the government released `1,100 crore for 408 SWD works. Of this, 102 works are done and 279 are under progress. Shiva Prasad, technical advisor to the Chief Engineer, SWD Department, BBMP, said the current works are scheduled to be completed by May, but will be delayed due to elections and will now be completed in June — probably after the monsoon starts.

In spite of the government's assurances last year that SWD works will be a priority, it has not yet given approval for purchase of robotic excavators to clean the drains. BBMP had sought approval last year, and the government had asked the civic body to explain the need for such machines, after which the Palike again sent a reply, an official said. Even works to clear the 1,985 encroachments identified on SWDs have been stalled due to elections.

Prasad says dumping of thermocol in SWDs has been a major issue and goes on in spite of fencing. "In areas such as Chickpet and Koramangala valley, after we remove thermocol from a drain, 15 days later, it goes back to its original state. People manage to make holes in the fencing," he said.

Yet another issue the department faces is flow of sewage from BWSSB's pipes into the SWDs, which not only adds more water but also deposits silt and solid waste. BWSSB chairman Tushar Girinath admitted that untreated sewage flowed in SWDs due to the city's rapid development in the past 3-4 decades.

"The solution is a two-pronged approach — to treat all the water supplied to the city by construction of STPs, and to construct a conveyance network to connect all houses to STPs," he said. As of now, all untreated water, over 500 MLD, is going to storm water drains, and eventually lakes and rivers, he said.

Additional Chief Secretary to Urban Development Department Mahendra Jain, in a recent meeting with BBMP and BWSSB officials, instructed them to carry out pre-monsoon cleaning and de-silting and to expedite SWD works as much as possible. "We have identified vulnerable areas and special steps have been taken to drain out the water and make drains bigger. But if there is a heavy downpour over a short span of time, then problems may still occur," he said.

  • Total length of storm water drains in city: 842 km
  • Number of km on which works have been done: 352 km
  • Remaining: 490 km
  • Number of encroachments identified: 1,985
  • Number of encroachments cleared: 1,225

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com