BENGALURU: Continuous rainfall through October has left Bengaluru city in a state of paralysis. Citizens are grappling with floods and traffic, and experts say Bengaluru cannot handle even 10mm (1cm) of rain because of poor infrastructure management.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) data shows that from October 1 to 24, Bengaluru received 301.7mm rainfall against the norm of 117.4mm. Weathermen say it has been raining every day in the city, with very few dry days for the water level to subside, which is also causing problems.
“My worry heightens every time it starts raining. I don’t want water to gush into my home. I don’t want my neighbours to suffer. We’ve handled enough due to poor government management,” said Poornima M, a resident of Bellandur.
Civic expert Kathyayini Chamaraj said it looks like the city cannot handle the slightest rainfall. Earlier, people wouldn’t worry about rain, but now they do, she said. Encroachment, increased concretisation and silt accumulation in lakes and drains is leading to floods. Even TenderSure roads have not been done properly, as there are no percolation pits. Shoulder drains exist in very few locations, she added.
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath said the city can handle 20-40mm rainfall at present, without being affected. He said there is a misunderstanding among people that the city cannot handle any rainfall. Ideally, Bengaluru can handle 60-70mm rainfall per day, but due to continuous rain, all lakes are full. Flooding has been reported from low-lying areas where water from the entire city has flowed down to, he said.
Water conservation expert Vishwanath Srikantaiah said: “Bengaluru, or any city, cannot handle continuous rainfall. This October, Bengaluru saw continuous rainfall. Lakes and drains are full. Ideally in the first rain, Bengaluru can handle 80mm, in the second rain 20mm and 10mm in the third rain.”
Srikantaiah said Bengaluru’s drains are designed to handle 80mm rainfall. Thus to handle more rain, as a fallout of climate change, their capacity needs to be enhanced. The K-100 and Vrishabhavathi valley are designed to handle 180mm rain, which is why there was no flooding in some parts. Natural terrain plays a role, and the city’s soil also differs -- East Bengaluru has clayey soil and North Bengaluru has laterite, with low water absorption capacity.
Principal Secretary, Disaster Management, Rashmi V Mahesh said a study was being undertaken to ascertain how much rain the city can handle, and how planning needs to be done in future. It is also a part of the World Bank project.
SEVEN-YEAR-OLD BOY DROWNS IN ELEVATOR PIT
A 7-year-old boy drowned in a pit filled with rainwater at an under-construction building in Kannamangala under Kadugodi police limits on Wednesday morning. The pit was dug up to install an elevator. The building belongs to Kannamangala Milk Dairy Association. The deceased has been identified as Suhas Gowda of Kannamangala. He was a Class 2 student of a private school. Police said Suhas was playing with his friends near the under-construction building opposite his house around 9.15am when he fell into the pit. Due to heavy rain, the five-foot pit was filled with water. After his friends alerted those residing near the building, they pulled Suhas out and rushed him to a hospital, where the doctors declared him brought dead.