Saturday, August 06, 2005

Don’t drink the water and don’t move on the roads

The BMP commissioner recently blamed the rainwater accumulation on roads after a spell of rain due to the citizens of Bangalore moving on the roads and blocking the flow of rainwater after the rain halts. His solution is simple but ludicrous, wait for an hour after the rain stops before venturing onto the roads.

His statement indicates that the BMP far from recognizing a problem is following the ostrich’s approach of sticking its head in the sand and pretending a problem doesn’t exist.

The very fact that the accumulated rainwater doesn’t drain away immediately speaks of the faulty design of the roads and the drains. Low-lying areas in the event of heavy rains will get flooded immediately due to the inadequacy of the drains, and the improper road surface. It is then a design issue, which needs to be addressed immediately and not ignored. When the design is faulty, any patchwork done will be of no use.

Meanwhile television cables are still strung from electric poles and hang very low, pulling down electric cables and making contact with electric cables thereby threatening to electrocute members of the public. One man’s death is another man’s entertainment!

Sunil