Eight hundred houses were inundated on Sunday afternoon, after the bund of Hulimavu lake off Bannerghatta Road breached. With little warning, water flooded houses at Krishna Layout, DLF Road, Saraswathipura, Avani Sringeri Nagar, Royal Residency Layout, and BTM Layout 4th Stage to a height of two to four foot.
Personnel on the ground estimated that over 1,000 people were affected , and the BBMP in a press release stated that 193 people were evacuated to safety.
This is the third time a lake has been breached in two months in the city. While the breach of Doddabidarakallu lake in October was attributed to heavy rainfall, the one at Hosakerehalli lake on November 10 and now Hulimavu lake are allegedly the result of contractors tampering with the bunds.
An investigation would reveal the reason for the breach, BBMP Commissioner B.H. Anil Kumar said, and added that the civic body was trying to build a temporary bund.
By late evening, NDRF personnel were able to stop the flow of water by covering the breached bund with 300 truckloads of mud.
Across affected areas, families were devastated by the extent of the damage. “I came home and was mortified to see the damage. Nothing is left … all our furniture and electronics items have been damaged, and cannot be salvage,” said a resident of Krishna Layout, which abuts the lake.
The breach was reported around noon, following which the officials from the BBMP and Fire and Emergency Services and Quick Response Teams rushed to the spot. Given the extent of damage, the NDRF was also pressed into service. The NDRF personnel were seen using two inflatable boats to rescue citizens from their flooded homes. “We are rescuing the aged, pregnant women, and children from their homes. We have another boat that will be used if required,” said an NDRF personnel.
The BBMP’s revenue officials will conduct a survey of the damage on Monday, while solid waste management cell will oversee cleaning operations of the flooded areas. On Sunday evening, Mr. Anil Kumar tweeted that 80% of work to build a temporary bund and stop water flow had been completed with the help of BMRCL trucks and earthmovers.”
Differing versions over who broke the bund
The police have taken up a case based on a complaint by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), but they are yet to determine how Hulimavu lake bund got breached on Sunday in view of differing accounts from civic officials and residents.
While local residents blame a fishing contractor, the local councillor claimed a contractor who was entrusted with the lake rejuvenation work made a wrong assessment.
Soumithri K., a resident of Royal Residency Layout, alleged that a fishing contractor who was to start work on Sunday wanted to perform a puja. “BBMP officials themselves told us that the fishing contractor would be performing a puja, and would let out a bit of water by breaking the bund. However, the water gushed out, damaging the remaining portion of the bund,” he claimed.
While civic officials denied this claim, councillor Bhagyalakshmi Murali told The Hindu that she was not apprised by the BBMP of the “development work” that was being undertaken at the lake. “I was at a Rajyotsava programme when I got the news. We have been trying to stop the flow of water out of the lake since then,” she said.
According to members of the Hulimavu Kere Tharanga, the new exit — where the bund was damaged — should not have been touched. The new exit was first opened in March this year for lake rejuvenation work. “However, it was packed and closed after funds were diverted for flood relief in north Karnataka. On Sunday morning, some earthmover damaged the bund under the pretext of letting some water out as the water level was rising in the lake. We have been monitoring the water level. There had been no rain and there was no reason for the water level to rise,” they said.
The police have taken up a case against a contractor identified as Venkatesh, who was carrying out rejuvenation work which led to the breach. “As per the complaint received from the BBMP, he made a wrong assessment while carrying out the work, which led to the breach. No arrests have been made so far,” said a senior police officer.
Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao said, “Right now, the focus is to ensure the safety of residents. We will take up investigation and take action against those responsible.”
Over 500 personnel involved in rescue, evacuation
NDRF personnel involved in rescue operation.
More than 500 personnel from the city police, National Disaster Response Force, Fire and Emergency Services as well as Civil Defence personnel were deployed to BTM Layout on Sunday afternoon after water from the nearby Hulimavu lake gushed into hundreds of houses. Rescue operations began around 12 noon and winded down only by 10 p.m.
It took the personnel hours to contain the breach. “We used around 300 truckloads of mud to cover the breached bund and stop water from gushing into the residential areas,” said Pradeep Kumar K.K., Emergency Coordinator, Disaster Management Cell.
According Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials, around 800 houses were damaged and 193 people were evacuated to safety — 130 people were brought to safety with quick response teams guiding them with ropes while boats were used to rescue 63 people, many of whom were senior citizens, women, and children, including a 3-month-old baby. Shelters were set up at an indoor badminton court, Ambedkar Bhavan, and Sai Baba Ashram. Pumps were used to clear basements of houses of water.
The lake is spread around 127 acres. “Fortunately, the breach occurred during the day, and we were able to ensure that residents were evacuated safely,” Mr. Kumar said. As daylight waned, teams operated with the help of emergency lights, but the situation was brought under control by late evening.
Many roads in and around the area were flooded and Hulimavu traffic police were deployed to divert motorists to other areas. “Traffic movement on Sir M.V. Road in Hulimavu was badly affected and traffic movement came to a halt,” said a senior police officer.
ICU patient shifted by boat
There was panic at Nano Hospital on M. Visvesvaraya Road at Nyanappanahalli as water from Hulimavu lake gushed into the basement, affecting casualty ward, laboratories, X-ray room, and other facilities. To make matters worse, staff had to manage without power for hours until the supply was restored later in the day.
While the hospital staff were able to manage the care of most of their patients under these circumstances, one patient was critically ill.
“A female patient in the ICU was on ventilator support. She was shifted to another private hospital by a boat provided by the National Disaster Response Force who were at the scene,” said a hospital staff.
Nano Hospital is located almost 2 km away from Hulimavu lake.
“We were in shock when water started gushing. The entire basement was submerged, which resulted in the power failure. It is not only in-patients, but even those visiting the hospital had a tough time as they could not enter the premises because of the water,” said a staff member.
