‘Location, elevation of Bengaluru must prevent floods': Civil engineer
BENGALURU: Although Bengaluru saw massive flooding after heavy rain in the first week of September, the city’s geography and elevation means that the city should not be submerged, said Vishwanath S, civil engineer and urban regional planner.
Speaking at a webinar on ‘Your Role In City Planning: How?’ organised by the Breakthrough Science Society on Sunday, he said, “Since Bengaluru is situated on high elevation and being placed on a ridge line, it takes a remarkable set of factors for the city to even be waterlogged. If we were at a river or flood plain level, flooding would be a challenge. Bengaluru also lies on a ridge line between two different basins, whose flows are very different from each other. These must be understood while designing the system of stormwater drains.”
He pointed out that there are discrepancies in stormwater drains being documented by two different bodies, adding that there are two separate master plans by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike and Bangalore Development Authority, which have not been made public. These should be made public so that the builders can factor in the drainage system, he added.
Explaining the early development of Bengaluru, he said that the city was built based on an ancient system of keres, lakes and tanks that were man-made, where water was collected as the city was built on semi-arid land. “Most places where Bengalureans reside were designed as paddy fields. They were low-lying areas which were levelled by people. Buildings in such areas will face the problem of water flowing slowly,” he said.
Dr Ashish Verma, convenor of Transport Systems Engineering, IISc, said that different intervention bundles were created, considering the opinion of stakeholders, to help reduce flooding in the city. “These are a mix of land use, infrastructure and information-related interventions which includes replacing impermeable road surfaces with permeable materials in vulnerable areas, as well as relocation and rehabilitation of slum areas,” he said.