BENGALURU: Bengaluru was in news for all the wrong reasons this May 17 after it received 10cm of rainfall in just under 90 minutes, exposing once again the ad hoc and short-sighted planning that has failed to make the state capital monsoon-ready.
The fact that each time Bengaluru receives a heavy downpour, its areas getting flooded almost bringing it to a halt, and heaping misery on its residents and commuters has made the capital an example for other cities in Karnataka to learn a lesson from.
A closer look reveals the reasons behind Bengaluru’s woes. A retired government official, who is now a consultant to the state government, says, “Funds from multiple sources are pumped into Bengaluru to improve its infrastructure, aesthetics and livability.
This includes the state budget allocation of Rs 8,409 crore and from the Union and state governments under various tags like Smart City, highway improvement, tech corridors, investment hubs and so on. But nothing solves the actual problem -- connecting lakes and drains so that water flows downstream. No government has been able to bulldoze encroachments on drains and lakes. Instead, they are coming up with Akrama Sakrama to legalise them, which will only lead to more problems.”
The official admits that many mistakes have been committed in planning and each time someone tries to correct it, he is transferred and a new official lets existing problems grow.
Ignoring drains, NGT orders
“The government’s focus is short-sighted as they know they will not sustain for long. So solutions offered to citizens are also quick-fixes, like cleaning drains and desilting. But no one does anything to widen drains for more water to flow. The Rs 1,600 crore which now Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has quoted will also be utilised for short-term solutions. No space is left to widen the drain network,” says a serving government official.
Prof TV Ramachandra, coordinator, Energy and Wetlands Research Group (EWRG), and Convenor of Environmental Information System (ENVIS) at Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), cites the drain network near Bellandur as a classic example. “In the name of remodelling of drains, the existing 80m-wide drain was reduced to 18.5m. The concretised city drains do not have any percolation pits which are essential for handling water flow.
The state government is blatantly violating the National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders that drains should not be concretised. The orders were given while hearing the Bellandur-Varthur lakes case. This is applicable to all drains, but is ignored,” he says. He demands that the government make a drain network map public to usher in transparency to ensure lakes and drains are not encroached upon and proper channels are maintained. Instead of looking for expensive solutions, the government should focus on the basics -- survey the lake and drain network, restore and maintain it, identify buffer zones and protect them and fence the drain network.
NO PROBLEM WITH CITY’S TOPOGRAPHY
He says the message the government and officials are disseminating — that Bengaluru’s topography is such that it will flood — is incorrect. “Bengaluru’s topography is unique and good. Its undulating terrain was with an inter-connecting lake network. Water naturally flows downstream. But the channels for it to flow are blocked with garbage, buildings and other commercial spaces, leading to flooding,” he explains.
Urban planner V Ravichandran says the problem is simple — lack of competence, corruption, designing problems, improper implementation with no respect for nature or for the law of the land. There is a natural science management for water flow, which has been hampered by engineers and politicians.
BENGALURU, A HEADLESS CHICKEN?
A senior IAS officer, requesting anonymity, points out that the bigger problem is that there is no one in charge of the city. The CM has to look after the state. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) head has no control, there are other parastatal agencies which do not work together, and each one blames the other while the citizens suffer. “The Central Business District areas flood because Bangalore Water Supply & Sewerage Board (BWSSB) sewage is let into drains, city outskirts flood as drain network is cut off for development and interconnected areas flood as network is broken,” he says.
The ideal time to complete monsoon preparedness (December-March) is not utilised properly due to corruption, he says. The money invested in the city is wasted on civil works, aggravating the problem. “It should now be utilised for creating a natural percolation network and rainwater harvesting system as the city has been getting excessive rain which cannot be managed. Instead, its collection will help solve the water crises,” says the senior official.
URBAN FLOODING, A MAN-MADE PHENOMENA
Urban flooding is man-made. This is the opinion of most of the experts. With non-stop urbanisation, there is a need for sustainable development to save cities and their citizens from natural disasters, say experts. Santosh Nargund, state lead of Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy, says as the natural storm water flow gets blocked, incidents of urban flooding are increasing even during small rain. Destroying small hillocks to accommodate residential layouts and encroaching lakes are resulting in flooding. Urban local bodies should plan for sustainable development and implement laws before the construction takes place.
“We are getting unseasonal rains due to cyclones which are the result of climate change. The local bodies plan for sustainable development for the longer term and also for the present by improving the drainage system, preventing lake encroachment and protecting them. Throwing solid waste, especially plastic, into the drains is one of the problems of flooding. Civic bodies should act on it and people should reduce plastic use,” he added.
What’s happening in other cities
While Bengaluru has taken a hit due to rain time and again, other cities in Karnataka are showing signs of following its path. However, some of the cities have taken steps not to get impacted by rain like Bengaluru.
MANGALURU
With the number of canals reducing from 300 to just 50, civic authorities started rejuvenating lakes and banned construction near rajakaluves to prevent flooding. Mangaluru Urban Development Authority Chairman Ravishankar Mijar says this is to provide enough space for widening of rajakaluves in future. In new layouts, they have mandated developers to make provisions for canals where there is natural runoff of rainwater.The civic body is rejuvenating the existing lakes to increase their capacity.
BELAGAVI
The problems experienced in Bengaluru are being replicated in Belagavi. Several low-lying areas in Belagavi city, Shahpur and Tilakwadi were flooded after recent rains. It is attributed to unplanned infrastructure development works taken up in the past and the lack of space for water to naturally drain out.
MYSURU
Mysuru City Corporation has learnt from Bengaluru as well as its own past mistakes. Mayor Sunanda Palanetra says two excavators, 12 backhoes, 7 tippers and 65 auto-tippers are currently working. “In addition, 65 more auto-tippers will be added to the existing vehicles from May 25 before monsoon begins,” she says. MCC has been ordered to cut branches of vulnerable trees and a team to assess damage caused due to rain has also been set up. Rs 1 lakh has been granted to each of the 65 wards to clear silt in drains.
SHIVAMOGGA
The authorities partially managed to prevent flooding in many areas which were affected in 2019. Shivamogga Smart City Limited Managing Director Chidnanda S Vatare says the carrying capacity has been improved because of the construction of Amruth storm water drains. The city corporation has constructed drains and conducted regular cleaning and desilting as a precaution.
KALABURAGI
DC Yeshwant Gurkar has directed his officials that as per the forecast, Kalaburagi will likely receive 20% excess rain this season. He has asked officials to ensure that sewage does not overflow and has told workers to clean drains every day. He has also directed irrigation department officials to keep in touch with their Maharashtra counterparts to check outflows from Ujani and Veer dams as Afzalpur and Jewargi taluks get flooded due to sudden release of water from these dams.
GADAG
Gadag DC Sundareshbabu N says they have learnt from last time and informed officials to concentrate more on low-lying areas where sewage mixes with rainwater and creates problems. Officials are now checking all dilapidated schools and will shift students to safer areas till rain stops.
With inputs from: Vincent D’Souza/Mangaluru; Naushad Bijapur/Belagavi; Karthik KK/Mysuru; Prakash Samaga/ Udupi; Arpitha I/Shivamogga; Ramkrishna Badseshi/Kalaburagi; Raghu Koppar/Gadag; and Arunkumar Huralimath/Hubballi