Nothing goes down the drain in the city

BANGALORE: As the city was experiencing it’s second summer, the recent rains were a relief from the scorching heat. While the showers helped in lowering the temperature, the aftermath of the rain was not as pleasant.The downpour lead to water logging in a number of places in the city.Richmond Town, National Games Village, Inner Ring Road, parts of Domlur and Airport Road were a few among the other low lying areas of the city that bore the brunt of Monday’s rain. As a result, traffic almost came to a standstill.The U-turn near a posh apartment on Old Airport Road saw many furious pedestrians who were splashed with the dirty water.“I was standing near the Domlur flyover bus stop waiting for an autorickshaw when a car splashed dirty water on me. It was very irritating at first as I was headed for work, but then I realised that it wasn’t really the drivers fault as there was a nasty pothole which the driver didn’t probably gauge as he was driving towards Domlur,” said Prajuwal, a resident of the apartment on Old Airport Road.The sole reason for water logging in many of these areas is not just the fact that they are at a lower gradient, it is also the lack of a vent to the shoulder drain.The purpose of constructing these drains were to drain out the rain water.However, the fault lies in the fact that these drains have no gap or vent for the water to flow in through. Hence the flooding. There is nothing much that can be done other than wait patiently for the water to dry or trickle elsewhere.Also, the stagnant water acts as a deadly catalyst for potholes. Given the present condition of the roads, the stagnant water only adds fuel to the fire and gives the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike another reason to procrastinate.When questioned about the lack of vents and the reason for water logging along the shoulder of many roads, a BBMP official said that the commissioner had visited a few areas earlier on Monday morning to ensure that the city is in a presentable condition before the Vietnamese President’s arrival.Siddaiah had also instructed the concerned authorities to create vents for the water to flow into the drain to avoid the flooding. “At the moment we are creating many vents across 80 feet road in Koramangala,” he said.After spending crores, the Palike is still struggling with the issue. Krishna Swami, the chief engineer for East zone said that he has observed the water logging problems in his zone. “I have instructed my officials to clear and desilt all the shoulder drains,” he said, however, he was unable to comment on the lack of vents.“The vents will also be cleared and I have also spoken with the commissioner regarding building drains where required. Cubbon Park Road and Harsha Road are few examples of roads that do not have a shoulder drain. We will take up the construction one by one,” said the engineer. Commenting on the estimate cost for the drain he informed that it costs Rs 5,000 per metre including top cover. Chief engineers from other zones were unavailable for comments.