Credit: DH File Photo
Bengaluru: The proposal to build sluice gates, once touted as the solution for controlling lake overflows and mitigating flooding in low-lying areas, remains stalled.
Despite the previous Basavaraj Bommai-led government allocating Rs 35 crore for the project following the massive floods of 2022, no work has commenced on the ground, as the new government reportedly redirected the funds to other projects.
Meanwhile, residents continue to suffer. Heavy rains earlier this week caused about 60 lakes, mostly in the Mahadevapura and Yelahanka zones, to overflow, flooding homes, streets, and entire layouts in low-lying areas along lakes and stormwater drains.
Experts say sluice gates could be an effective flood mitigation measure, as they allow for the controlled release of water from lakes when heavy rainfall is forecasted.
In March last year, the BBMP prepared an action plan to install sluice gates in 102 lakes and submitted it to the Urban Development Department (UDD) for approval. The civic body is still awaiting a response.
Some lakes, like Rachenahalli, Jakkur, and Amruthahalli, already have sluice gates installed by the BBMP using development funds.
Naveen Krishna, who lives near Rachenahalli Lake, praised the sluice gate for preventing flooding on Rachenahalli Main Road and at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCAS).
“Before the rains, we made sure the lake was emptied by 1.5 feet. When it rained, the lake acted like a sponge,” he said.
BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath explained that the funds for the sluice gates were withdrawn because the civic body had prepared an action plan to install them under the World Bank’s flood mitigation project. “We will build the sluice gates; there’s no doubt about it,” he assured.
The World Bank has reportedly promised a Rs 2,000 crore grant for flood mitigation in the BBMP limits, but no tenders have been issued yet.
V Ramprasad, convener of Friends of Lakes, questioned the BBMP’s commitment to solving the city's flooding issues. “The civic body seems more interested in keeping the flood problem alive to secure more grants. If they were serious, the sluice gates should have been built by now,” he said.