After techie’s death in Bengaluru, BBMP to close faulty underpasses for repair; audit underway
BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath has asked the chief engineer to submit a report on drainage facilities to start the repair works
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Flooded KR Circle underpass where a 22-year-old woman died after her car got stuck on May 21, 2023, Sunday. (Express photo by Jithendra M) After two rain-related deaths in Bengaluru on Sunday, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath said the civic body was conducting an audit of 18 underpasses, including railway underpasses, to prevent future tragedies. Based on the audit report, faulty underpasses would be temporarily closed to take up repair work, he said.
A techie, Bhanurekha, 22, died as the car she was travelling in entered a flooded underpass at K R Circle in the heart of Bengaluru Sunday. In another rain-related death, Lokesh, 31, was washed away in a stormwater drain at K P Agrahara.
Calling the death of the techie “unfortunate”, Girinath said, “To prevent such incidents in the future, audits of all underpasses are underway. Whichever underpasses are not adequate, we have stopped (the movement) of vehicles,” he said.
“We have given time till today evening to the chief engineer to submit a report. If the report says that drainage facilities are inadequate, such underpasses will be repaired first and then opened for traffic,” he said.
Explaining the causes for clogging at K R Circle, he said parts of the city had recorded a heavy downpour of 50 mm rainfall in 45 minutes between 3.15 pm to 4 pm Sunday. Even if stormwater drains and underpasses are cleaned, “50 mm rainfall in 45 minutes will have an impact”, according to him.
Girinath said the storm led to leaves from trees getting blown away and blocking the grating that drains water at the underpass and the heavy downpour followed, worsening the situation.
There are two major issues regarding underpasses. “In open-to-sky underpasses, there is not much water-logging due to rainfall. 80 per cent water flow (to the underpass) from surrounding areas. Therefore, water diversion to the underpass is significant,” he said.
“In the event of flooding, adequate drainage to pump out the water is also essential. Though there is an option of building a roof for the underpass, it will be expensive. We have to concentrate on the first two steps,” he added.
Girinath said both the victims’ families would be given a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each.
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