Call for coordination among govt agencies to prevent rain-related disasters in Bengaluru

Singh said that during rains, the fire stations and the state disaster response force should take action as soon as they get information from the BBMP control room about a flooded area. “The telephone numbers of all fire stations should be given to the control room. Everyone should work in coordination. The senior officials of respective zones along with the personnel of the fire department and police should jointly visit the 198 flood prone areas in the city and make necessary arrangements in order to avoid any disaster,” he said.

The BBMP’s forest cell has been asked to make sure that tree branches that fall in rain are cleared from streets.

Officials said that the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre would provide the weather updates and the BBMP should be ready with mitigation measures.

In the meeting, BBMP chief commissioner Tushar Giri Nath directed officials to clear silt from the drains so that the flow of water during heavy rain is not obstructed. He also ordered the removal of encroachment from drains.

“The tehsildars should conduct the surveys so that the encroachers from the drains could be evicted. If anybody tries to obstruct the eviction process, police help should be sought,” he said.

Nath also said that 12 of the 53 underpasses in the city required immediate attention. “CCTV cameras, electric lights and rainwater gauges should be installed in the underpasses,” he added.