Bangalore and Floods
Bangalore and FloodsHopefully the recent floods in Mumbai have served as a warning to the Bangalore city authorities, where floods can and do occur at the drop of a hat and the fall of a raindrop. A short spell of rain can bring Bangalore to a grinding halt. Prolonged rains can turn Bangalore into a watery grave.
Bangalore saw the formation of its original drainage system under British rule, when stonewalled box drains led storm water to nearby lakes. This was sufficient for those days. With the ‘modernization’ of Bangalore, the drains remained the very same while lakes were drained and the beds encroached upon in Man’s greed and need for more space and more land.
We then reached the phase where traffic in Bangalore started increasing, and the civic authorities in their shortsighted plans to ease traffic congestion decided to increase ‘motorable’ road surface by widening roads and thereby reducing pavement width and removal of pavements on some roads. The unseen victims of these measures were the old storm water drains. As they lay directly below pavements that were being altered, they fell victim to the cost cutting contractors who replaced them with even shallower and narrower drains.
The next step forward for corporators returning from foreign tours was to implement ‘modern paving techniques’. This led to laying interlocking pavers in a bed of sand over existing slabs covering storm water drains. The result can be witnessed on several roads. In some places they have collapsed into the very drains that they were supposed to cover and in other areas they are sinking due to the sand leaking into the narrow and shallow drains below clogging them.
There is also no scientific method followed of contouring (cambering) the road surface so that water doesn’t stagnate on the road surface but flows into drain inlets. On some roads you will be surprised to see the complete absence of drain inlets, though a drain will exist on the shoulder of the road. This indicates the presence/ existence of influential individuals or corporates on that road, who influence the authorities to camber those roads so that rainwater flows into adjoining areas. This NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) syndrome affects entire Bangalore, and no combined scheme can be successfully implemented until the syndrome is cured.
Fat cats from the corporate world flout traffic rules and park their cars illegally on pavements, breaking slabs. The hole is quickly filled up with debris and garbage contributed by passing Bangaloreans, resulting in another blocked drain. Only the traffic police can prevent such happenings by providing railings for pavements and booking offenders.
No proper filter mechanism is implemented at the drains inlets. Desilting of drains when done is at the most, manual opening of drains and the silt thrown onto the roads, waiting for the next rains to wash them back into the very same drains.
Bangalore requires wider, deeper storm water drains fitted with a rain water harvesting mechanism. Creation of new, deeper artificial lakes, and a proper mechanism to channel water there is an expensive proposition and is less likely to be implemented by political parties more concerned with self-survival than the survival of Bangalore.
Until some measures are taken on a war-footing with the future thought of as well, Bangalore remains a disaster waiting to happen.
Sunil
posted by Sunil Pichamuthu @ 4:46 AM
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5 Comments:
Sunil,
While most citizens acknowledge the threat of severe flooding in Bangalore, the authorities fall short every year in two respects; they fail to recognize the months in which flood threats are most probable; schedule their large scale 'maintenance' or repair work at an inappropriate time.
The BMP refuse to do road work during the 'monsoon', between June and September and schedule repairs during the first week of October. If the Bangalore Met Dept were to be consulted, they will only be too glad to point out that the wettest months and the months that receive the most intense rainfall are September,October and May, with most of June,July and August being prone to only the occasional heavy shower.
Similarily April/May showers are often accompanied with powerful winds and the BMP will do well to fell old trees and branches that loom over power lines and busy roads. I believe that in this area they have done reasonably but could do a lot better.
Sunil,
What you say about the timing of road repair is true.
With regard to old trees, I would say that not all the trees that the BMP chops are unsafe, but after chopping them in a haphazard manner they are rendered unsafe.
Power lines could be shifted underground in a phased manner.
No doubt a few specific trees are weak, but I've witnessed old but extremely strong trees that have stood the test of many monsoons, fall victim to the BMP axe for the sole reason that they are a very good source of wood for furniture or other purposes.
Our 'elected representatives' and their 'contractors' seem bent upon 'contract-killing' trees.
Keep the comments coming.
Regards,
Sunil
spoke to daughter today, bangalore flooded again. as a frequent UK visitor to bangalore for the past five years, i have noticed the decline of the beautiful trees in your city. once gone, as will be the shade they offered,and their beautiful blossoms, they can not be replaced,many are hundreds of years old, your city air will suffer, everytime i return,historical buildings, houses, are gone, so sad. the garden of India is fast disapearing
Visitor from UK,
What you say is very true. Many old yet strong trees have fallen victim to Man's greed in the "Garden" City. In the name of expansion they give way to wider roads that go nowhere and buildings that stand unclothed with no natural beauty.
Sigh!
You can visit my other blog
http://focus-shoot-bang.blogspot.com
for photos of present-day Bangalore.
For photos of old Bangalore I would recommend Ronnie Johnson's site on Geocities, namely-
http://www.geocities.com/ronnie.johnson/
Thanks for visiting my blog and keep checking it for updates.
Sunil
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