To,
Bangalore city Mayor, Gangambike Mallikarjun and BBMP Commissioner, Manjunath Prasad.
Demand
Complete Monsoon Preparedness Plan suggested by Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre
Why is this important?
Memories of the flash floods in Bangalore in July 2016 and inundation of low-lying areas in August and September last year still fresh. At a time when pre-monsoon showers are flooding the city, civic agencies are underprepared to tackle the issue...yet again. Over the past few weeks several areas of Bengaluru have been suffering power outages.
The Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) has identified 246 low-lying areas where even a brief spell of rain sees flood water entering homes(1). This has been handed to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) andso far the action taken is fairly limited. Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister G Parameshwara had set the deadline for end of May to finish all preparatory work for the monsoon(2) --the work is yet to be completed and Bengaluru struggles with the chaos of the aftermath of pre-monsoon showers.
Accumulated silt causes clogging of the stormwater drains and results in flooding in low-lying areas. Currently, less than one-third of stormwater drains have been cleared(3).
It is imperative that the entire 842 km stretch of stormwater drains are de-silted and encroachment over drains are taken care of before the beginning of monsoon season. Additionally, KSNDMC also suggested the installation of water sensors in all 246 vulnerable spots and so far only 25 water sensors have been installed(3). This needs to be done as soon as possible for better mitigation of stormwater accumulation in the city.
Waterlogging in Bangalore results in the city coming to a standstill and we cannot let this happen year after year. It is time that Bangalore city council and BBMP are held accountable and the city is better prepared to tackle heavy rainfall.
Sources
To,
Bangalore city Mayor, Gangambike Mallikarjun and BBMP Commissioner, Manjunath Prasad.
Demand
Complete Monsoon Preparedness Plan suggested by Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre
Why is this important?
Memories of the flash floods in Bangalore in July 2016 and inundation of low-lying areas in August and September last year still fresh. At a time when pre-monsoon showers are flooding the city, civic agencies are underprepared to tackle the issue...yet again. Over the past few weeks several areas of Bengaluru have been suffering power outages.
The Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) has identified 246 low-lying areas where even a brief spell of rain sees flood water entering homes(1). This has been handed to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) andso far the action taken is fairly limited. Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister G Parameshwara had set the deadline for end of May to finish all preparatory work for the monsoon(2) --the work is yet to be completed and Bengaluru struggles with the chaos of the aftermath of pre-monsoon showers.
Accumulated silt causes clogging of the stormwater drains and results in flooding in low-lying areas. Currently, less than one-third of stormwater drains have been cleared(3).
It is imperative that the entire 842 km stretch of stormwater drains are de-silted and encroachment over drains are taken care of before the beginning of monsoon season. Additionally, KSNDMC also suggested the installation of water sensors in all 246 vulnerable spots and so far only 25 water sensors have been installed(3). This needs to be done as soon as possible for better mitigation of stormwater accumulation in the city.
Waterlogging in Bangalore results in the city coming to a standstill and we cannot let this happen year after year. It is time that Bangalore city council and BBMP are held accountable and the city is better prepared to tackle heavy rainfall.
Sources