BENGALURU: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has pulled up its socks to ensure that flooding does not occur during pre-monsoon or monsoon in the city.
Besides desilting storm water drains (SWDs), setting up water pump sets and installing trash barriers to prevent waste from entering lakes and SWDs, the BBMP has formed 24 teams, who will clear roads
prone to waterlogging during rain.
The teams will be spread across nine divisions — east division, west division, south division, Bommanahalli division, Dasarahalli division, Mahadevapura division, KR Puram division, RR Nagar division, and Yelahanka division.
Each team will consist of nine labourers. They will be provided with a mini truck, a water pump set and accessories like a crowbar, a shovel and a pickaxe.
“The teams will be headed by an Assistant Executive Engineer of each division. Once it starts pouring, the engineers will reach the spots which can get waterlogged. We have identified 250 such spots,” said a senior BBMP Official.
Citing the example of the Cauvery Underpass, which got waterlogged after the showers last Friday, the official said the BBMP took quick measures and cleared the pathway.
“As it was a low-lying area, it got waterlogged, and with it, things like leaves, bottles and other things, blocked the water inlets, preventing rainwater from passing. We had to stop motorists from going that way. Labourers were immediately called and they worked quickly. The water was pumped out and the underpass was opened for traffic,” said the official.
Some of the spots prone to waterlogging are Link Road in Malleswaram, Netaji Nagara, Silk Board Junction, Army Land in Ejipura, ST Bed in Koramangala, Byrasandra fire station, Tata Nagar, Hennur-Baglur Main Road, ITI Layout and Dollars Colony among others.
250 km of stormwater drain network cleaned
A senior stormwater drain engineer said a total of 250 km of SWDs have been cleared so far. The city’s drain network spans 842 km. The official said work on 440 km of the network is of utmost priority. “Desilting has been done in the Mahadevapura zone, Bengaluru South, Bengaluru West, Yelahanka and a few other places. There will not be any major flooding. The BBMP has used the Repetitive Desilting Programme for the year 2019-2020. The SWDs will be cleaned by contractors every day,” said the official