With the city expected to get good showers this monsoon, citizens in many neighbourhoods are apprehensive about the likelihood of their homes getting flooded. Last year, heavy rains wreaked havoc in several areas.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has identified as many as 366 vulnerable points across the eight zones in the city. The list of these vulnerable points will soon be submitted to the offices of the Chief Minister and City Development Minister.
On Monday, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy had reviewed the civic body’s rain preparedness. He instructed BBMP officials, including commissioner Maheshwar Rao, to be on high alert.
Sources in the BBMP’s Storm-water Drain Department told The Hindu that in the past few years, it took up several works to strengthen the drain network, such as rebuilding the retention wall. “We believe that because of these works, the extent of damage will be minimal,” sources said.
Mayor R. Sampath Raj said the BBMP was in coordination with the Fire Department and other agencies, apart from getting regular weather updates from the Meteorological Department and the Karnataka State Nature Disaster Monitoring Centre. “We have also attached the 21 teams of the Forest Department to coordinate with the control room staff. That apart, around 65 disaster control rooms have been opened to ensure that the response time is quick in case of emergencies,” he said, and added that machines, such as water pumps and saws, have been provided to all the control rooms.
