Dug-up roads, silt-filled drains add to rain mess

Bengaluru: There is no change in the monsoon story plot: Trees uprooted, roads waterlogged, life disrupted. Saturday evening's downpour had a lasting effect on South Bengaluru on Sunday.
Five trees were uprooted in the area and waterlogging in Sindhu Colony, Padmanabha Nagar and parts of Bommanahalli brought life to a standstill and forced BBMP officials to conduct a detailed inspection and find urgent solutions, with the weatherman predicting more rain in the offing.
Residents blamed the havoc on dug up roads and silt-filled drains. "Torrential rain between 4pm and 5pm flooded most parts of south and southeast Bengaluru. Thankfully, South Bengaluru is not a flat area, so the water eventually flowed out. Otherwise, the nightmare would have dragged on for days," said Srinidhi Sampath, a resident of Basavanagudi.
BWSSB has indiscriminately dug up roads, especially near Gandhi Bazaar, just ahead of the monsoon, turning them treacherous, Srinidhi added. "It is obviously not the right time. When water fills up these trenches, we don't even know how deep they are," he rued. Scores of vehicles, including Srinidhi's, were stuck in these pits.
Roads near Kamakya theatre in Katriguppe, and near RV Road Metro station were completely flooded, said Abhay Koushik, an MBA student. "The water reached halfway to my knees and the roads were so bad, it made riding risky," he said.
While the south -- Jayanagar, Basavangudi, JP Nagar (Dollar's Colony) and nearby areas -- bore the brunt of the showers, areas the southeast, like Koramangala, were not spared either. Residents blamed BBMP's shoddy desilting work, encroachment of storm water drains and garbage clogging drains for the mess on the roads.
"It's been the same for 7-8 years now," said Parvathi Shrirama, member of the Koramangala 4th block Residents Welfare Association. "This year, it is much worse and the monsoon is just beginning. It gives us the jitters," she added.
According to Parvathi, waterlogging in Koramangala begins near 8th main, 5th cross. "Each year, the water reaches newer areas -- spreading from 5th cross all the way to 9th cross yesterday," she said.
"BBMP is yet to desilt drains, and the storm water drain leading to Bellandur is blocked, so the water has nowhere to flow. Drains are also blocked with people throwing in garbage. The problem is getting so bad it is getting difficult to find people who want to rent houses here," she said.
MORE SHOWERS EXPECTED
The Meteorological Centre, Bengaluru, has predicted cloudy skies with one or two spells of rain for the next 24 hours.
"The maximum temperature is likely to be around 31 deg Celsius and the minimum 20 degree," a department official said.