The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has identified 209 flood-prone areas in the city, categorising 153 of them as sensitive and 56 hypersensitive. With the threat of flash floods looming over the city, the civic body has decided to instal sensors in many more stormwater drains.
On Friday, BBMP Commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad held meetings with the engineers of all departments to discuss the city’s flood preparedness. Claiming that the BBMP had taken the necessary steps to avoid flooding, he said 28 sensors were already installed that would beam warning messages once the water level rises in stormwater drains.
One of the main causes of flooding in Bengaluru is the breaching of stormwater drains connected to the city’s elaborate lake network. Early warnings of overflowing stormwater drains would help the authorities undertake corrective measures and evacuate residents from flood-prone areas.
According to Prasad, the Revenue Department had sanctioned Rs 50 crore to the BBMP for preventing rainwater from entering low-lying and flood-prone areas. The BBMP has already spent Rs 15 crore on installing radars to obtain real-time information about rainfall. The remaining Rs 35 crore will be spent on a comprehensive flood mitigation plan. Engineers are already working on it, he added.
The city received 65% more rainfall than the normal of 185 mm in the months of June and July. But in August, it has received 28% less rain so far, Prasad said.
Clearing fallen trees
Prasad said that one team had been posted in each assembly constituency to clear fallen trees. The BBMP has purchased the necessary equipment to cut and transport the fallen trees. The control room would immediately send the team to the spot after receiving complaints. The BBMP has also opened a permanent control room in every zone and a temporary one in each sub-division, he said.
Prasad laid the responsibility of preventing rain-related disasters at the doorsteps of the BBMP's zonal engineers who, he said, were not given put on Covid duty. BBMP teams tasked with trimming tree branches and clearing fallen trees will not be deployed on Covid-19 duty either, the BBMP commissioner said.