Rain exposes lack of drainage at BDA site

Bengaluru

The spate of heavy rains is proving to be a problem for owners who were allotted sites at Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout. Incomplete drainage and bridge work by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has resulted in inundation. Rain water from stormwater drains is overflowing from these drains creating trenches in the sites, said owners who blamed the BDA for failing to complete ongoing works as planned. 

Surya Kiran A. S., joint secretary of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout Open Forum, said that due to land acquisition issues the BDA could not complete the work in time. “The BDA could not construct 36 minor bridges, SWD, drain networks linking lakes and others. There is no proper channel available for rainwater to flow. As a result, soil erosion is common on sites allocated to the general public. In future, when site owners construct houses, they will face a lot of problems due to the uneven ground level,” he said. 

Though the BDA had allotted sites six years ago, it has yet to provide civic amenities. “The BDA is not doing enough to build required infrastructure. Inter-linkage of waterbodies located in the layout has not been done. The State Government should also intervene in the matter and come to the aid of thousands of site owners, many of who took loans,” said Sanjeev H., a site owner. 

Meanwhile, with heavy rains lashing the city on Saturday, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) control rooms received a flurry of complaints, mostly tree falls, from across the city. 

Though personnel manning the zonal control rooms claimed no complaints about flooding had been received Sultanpet near Chickpet metro station was waterlogged and several two wheelers that were parked on the road were submerged. Sajjan Raj Mehta, trade activist, complained about the poor drainage system in the area and said a small spell of rain meant flooding and inundation of shops and other establishments in the old part of the city. 

The maximum number of tree falls were reported in West, South, and Rajarajeshwari Nagar zones.

According to @Bnglrweatherman, heavy thundershowers with lightning lashed south and south-western parts of the city, especially Kengeri, Jnanabharathi campus, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Banashankari, Turahalli, J.P. Nagar, B.G. Road, Jayanagar, Koramangala, and Uttarahalli. Heavy rains also lashed Rajajinagar, Yeshwanthpur, Malleswaram, Cottonpete, Dayanandanagar, and surrounding areas.