Poor drains, blocked rajakaluve flood layouts

Bengaluru: Another spell of heavy rain has exposed gaps in Bengaluru’s stormwater management, with poor drains and a blocked rajakaluve triggering severe flooding in residential layouts.Provident Harmony near Sampigehalli Lake was among the worst hit after water breached its compound wall and submerged critical infrastructure.Residents of Provident Harmony and adjoining layouts reported severe flooding following heavy rain on Wednesday, alleging that inadequate and poorly maintained stormwater drainage infrastructure had left the area vulnerable.Despite recent drainage works in the vicinity, rainwater from Sampigehalli Road and Byrathi Main Road failed to flow adequately through roadside drains, leading to large-scale accumulation and flooding in the residential complex, residents said.“Rainwater was not flowing through the roadside drains of Byrathi Main Road and flooded the layout. Poor maintenance of the roadside drains and choking of the stormwater drain were some of the reasons,” said G Suresh, a resident of Blessing Garden Layout. He added that the drainage work undertaken was partial and had not addressed the core problem.Heavy rain leaves Bengaluru drenched, commuters caught in long traffic snarlsResidents also flagged a possible obstruction in the rajakaluve passing through Provident Harmony, which is meant to channel stormwater towards Sampigehalli Lake. They alleged that the onward flow is blocked near private land behind the apartment complex, causing water to back up and breach the boundary.The flooding reportedly collapsed a significant stretch of the compound wall, submerged the sewage treatment plant and two borewells, and damaged several parked cars and other critical infrastructure.Calling the incident a symptom of a larger stormwater management failure, residents urged authorities to inspect the entire flow path from upstream roads through the drain network to the lake, assess the alleged obstruction, and undertake cleaning, maintenance and restoration wherever required.They warned that without a comprehensive, permanent solution, Provident Harmony and neighbouring properties would remain vulnerable to repeated flooding during subsequent spells of heavy rain.A flooded Blessing Garden Layout along Byrathi Main Road after the rain on Wednesday.

Source: Deccan Herald