With parts of Karnataka reeling under heavy rains and floods, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad reviewed the city’s rain preparedness on Friday, and directed officials to begin filling potholes that have cropped up again this monsoon.
Speaking to mediapersons, he said that the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) had predicted less rainfall for the city in August. “In June and July, the average rainfall is 185 mm, but we received 65% excess rains in those two months. In the first week of August, the rain received was 28% less than the average. Since less rains have been predicted, officials have been instructed to take up pothole-filling,” he said.
Hot mix from the BBMP’s batch mix plant will be used to fill potholes on the 1,400 km of arterial and sub-arterial roads.
“For the roads in wards, 198 maintenance contractors have already been identified. The pothole-filling exercise will be reviewed every week,” he said.
Vulnerable spots
The BBMP had identified 209 vulnerable spots along the 842-km stormwater drain network in the city. Of these, 153 had been classified sensitive and 56 as highly sensitive.
“These are points where the water level in the drain can increase with heavy rains, and there are chances of overflow. We have fitted sensors at 28 locations to monitor the water level. Sensors would be fitted in the remaining sensitive and highly-sensitive points soon,” Mr. Prasad added.
Of the 842-km stormwater drain network, the civic body had strengthened 381 km; work on the remaining stretches would be taken up in phases.
The Revenue Department had allocated ₹50 crore for flood mitigation, of which ₹15 crore will be utilised to install radars to monitor rainfall.
Tree fall damage
A team will be assigned to each of the 28 Assembly constituencies for ensuring that damage caused by tree and branch falls is minimal. Each team had been equipped with the required men and machinery, with a vehicle fitted with GPS.
