Bengaluru: Despite the BBMP’s assurance of temporary solutions to tackle flooding in 74 of the most vulnerable areas in the city, a permanent fix might take a year-and-a-half. The civic body is currently working on stormwater drain remodelling to mitigate flooding, having identified 198 flood-prone points in the city. The plans include constructing concrete retaining walls on either side of the rajakaluves.
“We have cleared 124 flood-prone points by building retaining walls under various grants. We have identified 27 severe flooding points and 47 moderate flooding locations. These points will be addressed once we secure the World Bank loan,” said BS Prahlad, BBMP’s Engineer-in-Chief. “The entire 856-km network of the rajakaluve will be remodelled by December next year,” he added.
The BBMP has listed several measures to keep Bengaluru flood-free during the monsoon, including deploying pumps, setting up control rooms at sub-divisional levels, and erecting sluice gates on lakes. Officials have also painted red marks on underpasses, warning motorists not to use them when water levels go beyond the marks. “Some underpasses will be barricaded whenever it rains,” an official stated.