On the eve of the Independence Day last year, Bengaluru witnessed a downpour. Next morning, people in many localities woke up to inundated basements and roads, tree-falls and snapped power lines. The more unfortunate ones spent the night protecting what little they could in their homes as rainwater entered from overflowing drains or flooded roads.
Among the worst hit were residents of Koramangala, HSR Layout, Shantinagar, Wilson Garden, K.R. Puram, Anugraha Layout, Ulsoor, Viveknagar, Murugesh Palya, and Gurappanapalya on Bannerghatta Road.
As the damage was assessed and fatalities reported, the “official spot inspections” began, and accusations were traded among political parties. The Congress government blamed the previous one for the mess while the BJP accused the Siddaramaiah-led administration of having ruined the city.
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State president of the BJP B.S. Yeddyurappa tweeted, “Visited rain affected areas of Bengaluru, BBMP, BDA under Congress have ruined the capital city. Sh.
As the monsoon picked up, little changed for the residents. Homes and roads were submerged again in rainwater and sewage. Anger spilled on to social media as people slammed the ineffectiveness of the civic administration in monsoon preparedness and containing the situation. But will that anger translate into votes for or against a party in the Assembly elections?
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Maria, a resident of an apartment complex in S.T. Bed, which was one of the worst-affected areas, said that with another monsoon approaching, many of them have been left feeling hopeless.
“A lot of people came and a lot of promises were made. But nothing has been done. One more August is coming, and so far, a retaining wall has been built around the place from where sewage overflowed,” she said, recalling the days when some residents of the area were stuck indoors for up to four days, with food being provided to them through windows.
“The drains are being cleaned. The waste, however, is being dumped on the road, and it will go back into the drain when it rains. We are waiting for the candidates to start door- to- door campaigning to discuss this issue,” said Ms. Maria.
On the other hand, S. Balasubramaniam, a resident of Kodichikkanahalli, which faced flash floods in 2016, said some precautions had been taken in the area, which is why they were not affected much during the rains in 2017.
“Work is in progress, but slow. But something is better than nothing. It is also a matter of maintenance overhaul, not just preventing flooding,” he said.
Shilpi Sahu, member of the Mahadevpura Parisara Samrakshane Mattu Abhivrudhi Samiti Trust, said the main problem leading to inundation was the non-existent drains in many parts of the city, especially in the 110 villages that were added to the BBMP limits.
“There are a lot of lakes in this constituency, and the lakes fill up during rains. Buffer zone encroachment is a big problem. Earlier, things were better. But now, buildings have come up where they are not supposed to, and there is flooding during the rainy season,” she said.
Lately, because of the ensuing elections, there is some work on the “raja kaluve” between Kaikondrahalli and Soul Kere, she added.
“People have lost hope. Mahadevapura generates so much tax, but gets nothing in return,” she said.