MY OPINION We need a good drainage system A Ravindra The massive downpour last Saturday,one of the heaviest in the past 44 years,has once again exposed the poor drainage system in Bangalore.Roads,drains and even houses in some areas were flooded,causing tremendous inconvenience to movement of people and traffic. Why does this happen Fundamentally,the existing infrastructure and drainage system in the city cannot handle the excess water whenever theres a downpour.Originally,stormwater drains in Bangalore were designed in keeping with the three valleys that run across the city --- Vrishabhavathy,Hebbal and Koramangala-Challaghatta.They served the purpose so long as the population of the city was within a certain limit. The unprecedented growth of Bangalore,unaccompanied by the necessary infrastructure,has precipitated problems of a large magnitude.The city drainage system comprises major drains,roadside drains and shoulder drains,all of which get overburdened during the rainy season. Its not just the drains but the design of roads that play a part in controlling floods.Roads must be designed based on the run-off of storm water.City drains can hold up to 45 mm of water per hour,not over 100 mm,as it happened recently.As a result,rainwater that hano space to drain out.There are also other reasons for flooding,caused mainly by a lack of maintenance of roads,drains,footpaths and sewer lines.Rainwater accumulates in potholes and depressions on roads and drains out at a very slow pace,which is further compounded by lack of proper connectivity to storm water drains.Another important factor relates to silting up of drains because of which much of the rainwater,which should be carried by the drains,overflows on to the streets.Further,water logging leads to clogging of sewer lines,thereby causing sewage to mix with storm water.Poor waste management also contributes to flooding garbage,plastics and polythene bags are thrown into drains and obstruct the smooth flow of water. Encroachments,revenue layouts and illegal constructions,especially along storm water drains and in lowlying areas,are other major causes of flooding.These problems are common to all cities in India and are not peculiar to Bangalore.In fact,coastal cities like Mumbai and Chennai face bigger problems,virtually every monsoon. Whats required is a comprehensive approach to the problem,which essentially involves putting in place a sustainable drainage management system as in developed countries.A storm water drain renovation and management project had been prepared some time ago but its implementation is getting delayed for some reason or other.In the meantime,risk assessment of vulnerable areas must be carried out and corrective measures taken to minimize them. Be it the impact of climate change and global warming or something else,we must be prepared for changes in temperature and untimely rain and floods.As the city grows in population and sprawl,theres a need for concerted action on the part of city planning and civic agencies to tackle the problem of flooding,which can not only damage the physical infrastructure but has serious implications on the safety and security of the people. Building a good drainage system should form a part of the Bangalore Master Plan which is under revision. (The writer is former chief secretary of Karnataka.He was also BBMP commissioner and BWSSB chairman)
Posted on: Tue, 26 Nov 2013 04:54:45 +0000
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