Rain on horizon, horrors of 2022 floods on mind, residents of Bengaluru’s Mahadevapura zone lament civic apathy

Two years later, the trauma of the 2022 floods looms large as residents brace themselves for the upcoming monsoon season. The Indian Express visited the Mahadevapura zone, which was the worst-affected zone under Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in the 2022 monsoon season, to review whether civic agencies have made any progress in addressing monsoon-related apathy.

Residents largely claim that BBMP has been “caught napping” again, while the civic agency argues that strategic measures are in place to tackle the monsoon this year.

Rainbow Drive Layout

Mahadevapura has upscale housing, apartment buildings, and low-lying residential areas prone to floods. In 2022, the breach of the Halanayakanahalli lake caused water to flood the RBD layout, submerging residences and the clubhouse under five feet of water. The area lacks a proper drainage system to manage such a heavy load of rainwater.

Residents claim that despite two years passing since the 2022 floods, the BBMP still needs to fix the drainage system. The layout carries rainwater and sewage water from the west side, particularly from the Junnasandra area with apartment buildings.

The BBMP has not yet started restoring the Junnasandra and Halanayakanahalli lakes, which could serve as a significant catchment area, reducing the risk of flooding. Although the civic agency has finished building a parallel drainage system at the layout entrance to handle heavy rainwater flow, residents complain that it has been constructed unscientifically and may cause rainwater to flow back into the layout.

Porkodi Devanathan, president of RBD Layout Residents Association, says, “Flooding in RBD has been primarily caused by authorities actions and inactions. The water flow from the larger catchment area is diverted into a low-lying area, which is very much against the laws of physics since it will require a lot of energy to pump the water back into drains. In fact, most of the owners have moved out from the layout since the 2022 floods and have rented their houses to tenants. This results from the BBMP’s negligence towards fixing the problems.”

The BBMP claims flooding is due to 40 RBD layout houses encroaching on stormwater drains (SWD), but the Karnataka High Court dismissed a survey, ordered a re-survey, and halted the clearance of the encroachment. The case is under review. The BBMP warns that the RBD region is not ‘flood-free’ this monsoon.

Rainbow Drive Layout submerged following rains.

Panathur Cross

The Panathur Cross, also known as the Panathur railway underbridge (RUB), is a flooding hotspot. It is a crucial passage for Balagere, Varthur, and Gunjur residents, linking them to the Outer Ring Road. The South Western Railways is building another parallel vent as part of the railway line doubling, but residents see this as a potential disaster at the crossroads.

“The BBMP has not built a proper drainage system to carry the rainwater. Despite having a dry spell the entire year (2023), no work has been done to address the water logging problem near the RUB. We are waiting for a major disaster to happen this monsoon. Ankle-deep waterlogging and kilometres-long traffic congestion will result from the BBMP’s inaction over the years,” rued Prasad, a resident of Balagere.

Adding to the woes is the closure of Croma Road and the unfinished CDP Road, making Panathur cross the only road accessible to the Outer Ring Road.

Nitin Joshi, another resident of Balagere, says the BBMP’s inaction to address the waterlogging issue has also hit them economically. “Despite Mahadevapura residents contributing so much to tax revenue for the corporation, we are still crippling with poor infrastructure. Our children cannot go to school because of traffic congestion and waterlogging problems near the bridge. As a result, children will lose attendance or miss exams. Meanwhile, working professionals have to take a pay cut if we cannot commute to the office because of the inaccessible roads,” says Joshi.

A viral video recently showed a traffic police constable from the HAL Traffic Police station clearing water under a bridge to ease traffic congestion. Netizens expressed frustration with the civic agency’s inefficiency. A senior traffic police officer says, “We have written multiple times to the BBMP to address the waterlogging issue but to no avail. The reason for waterlogging is that large apartment complexes have been built on SWDs. Moreover, the drains are not cleaned regularly, and as a result, the water is pushed back onto the road.”

However, BBMP officials argue that a small portion of the SWD stretch near the RUB is encroached upon, leading to waterlogging. “The violators have moved the court seeking a stay against removing the encroachment. As a result of the court order, no work has been carried out there. The temporary solution is to flush out the stagnant water, while the larger resolution involves local body authorities and other stakeholders to address the encroachment issue,” says a BBMP official.

A 2022 photo showing waterlogging under the Panathur Raul Under Bridge.

Ecospace Tech Park

Ecospace Tech Park, which houses several top IT companies on Outer Ring Road, is yet another notorious spot prone to flooding. In 2022, viral pictures showed knee-deep water and buses navigating the waterlogged roads. Cut to 2024, it is a reality check for the BBMP as the civic agency has installed a large water pipe connecting to the Bellandur lake to carry rainwater directly into the lake.

Chandrashekarappa, an auto driver and resident of Bellandur, says, “Earlier, the pipeline used to carry rainwater was very small, and the breach of the Kaikondrahalli lake led to massive waterlogging near Ecospace. However, this time, the BBMP has installed a long pipeline linking it to the Bellandur lake to carry the large influx of rainwater. This monsoon will test if the BBMP has done its work up to the mark.”

A 2022 photo of waterlogging near Ecospace tech park, Bellandur.

How prepared is BBMP to tackle flooding in Mahadevapura zone this year?

The Mahadevapura zone is primarily prone to flooding due to the encroachment of SWDs, water bodies, and mismanagement of drainage systems, allowing rainwater little space to flow to the lakes.

According to the BBMP, the monsoon pattern in the Mahadevapura zone indicates that an hour of rainfall exceeding 70mm can lead to flooding in the region. After assessing areas prone to floods, especially after 2022, BBMP has identified 54 locations that require measures to become ‘flood-free’. The zonal commissioner (Mahadevapura), KN Ramesh, claims that out of the 54 locations, 28 are now free from flooding.

“In September 2022, 28 locations reported flooding, and in October 2022, 18 locations reported flooding. Since then, the plan has been to analyse, identify, and address all these locations to make them flood-free. Out of 54 locations, 28 are now flood-free, indicating efforts to clear SWD encroachments, clean the SWDs, and widen the drains to allow passage of rainwater,” says Ramesh.

“In the remaining 26 locations, work is still in progress at 17 of them, with hopes to complete the work by September of this year. Moreover, in six of these locations, there are court stays on clearing SWD encroachments, and in three locations, BBMP needs to acquire private property to build SWDs,” added Ramesh. He says the government installed sensors in 14 SWDs that alert the BBMP control room about the water level entering the drains.

Sewage overflowing on road due to poor drainage system at Junnasandra.

The BBMP has identified 20 blackspots along the roadside drains where people tend to dump garbage, leading to clogged drains and obstructed water flow. Ramesh stated that 11 out of these 20 blackspots have been resolved by dewatering and desilting the drains. Ramesh also mentioned that out of the 2,577 km of drain length in Mahadevapura’s interior roads, desilting had been completed for 2,300 km.

Ramesh says that 145 of the 490 junctions where garbage is dumped near roadside drains have been addressed. Additionally, regular cleaning near the drains is carried out at 240 junctions. The BBMP also says that the fire department, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), tree-cutting teams, and dedicated control are all on standby to address this year’s monsoon.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who are assessing monsoon preparedness, are yet to visit the Mahadevapura zone to review the work undertaken to prevent floods.