Rs 300 cr released for Bengaluru to deal with flood-like situations

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said a decision has been made to release Rs 300 crore to deal with the current rain situation as well as the maintenance of basic infrastructure in Bengaluru.

Speaking to media after a meeting with deputy commissioners of 15 districts, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board and senior officials in regard to rain and floods in the state, CM Bommai said the government has taken a decision to release Rs 600 crore for the management of floods in Bengaluru and other districts especially roads, bridges, electric poles, transformers and school building repairs.

Bengaluru City alone was given Rs 300 crore and the DCs' have Rs 664 crore with them and Rs 500 crore has been released to provide infrastructure. In regard to the current situation in Bengaluru City, Rs 1500 crore has been released for the construction of Rajakaluve and the works would start once the rains stop.

Exclusive SDRF for Bengaluru

The CM Bommai said seeing the flood-like situation in Bengaluru, Rs 9.50 crore has been released to establish a company of SDRF exclusively for Bengaluru and to provide the equipment. This SDRF company was restricted only to Bengaluru City. For the rest of State, two more companies would be established by involving the retired defense personnel.

Central team to visit

Bommai said a central team to study rains and flood situation in the State will arrive in Bengaluru on Tuesday night. A memorandum will be submitted in regard to the existing damages caused by rains and floods. After visiting the flood-hit districts, the government will hold a meeting with the team members.

Pump house to start working in two days

The CM said he had visited T K Halli Pumphouse in Malavalli taluk of Mandya which pump Cauvery water drinking water supply and supply to Bengaluru. The overflowing Bheemeshwara River and water from the surrounding lakes entered T K Halli Pump house causing extensive damage to two pump houses. The draining out of water is on. The Cauvery 4th stage, 2nd phase pump house, 550 MLD capacity pump house will be cleaned and start water pumping. But it will take two days to drain out water from Cauvery 3rd stage pump house and to resume work. Necessary arrangements are made in this regard, he added.

Bommai said an alternative plan has been formulated for water supply to Bengaluru. Around 8000 borewells are under the BWSSB control and they would be restarted to supply water during the disruption in Cauvery water supply to areas. Instructions are given to supply water from the BBMP borewells to areas where there has been disruption in water supply due to rain. Water in tankers will be supplied on behalf of the government to the areas where there are no borewells. All out efforts will be made to prevent the disruption of water supply to any parts of Bengaluru.

Works on war footing

He said the area of Bengaluru has expanded due to inclusion of 110 villages into the BBMP limits. Since infrastructure of those 110 villages are also added to Bengaluru limits, new problems have cropped up.

The zones are divided among the ministers and they are working on war footing along with officials. The government will seek co-operation of the citizens of Bengaluru during the current rainy situation and everything will be managed well. "We will remove encroachments of roads, canals, rajakaluves and installing the gates for waterholes. Infrastructure will be improved. Since the state capital has received the record rains in the shortest period they need to take it as a challenge and face it unitedly".

The CM said the water table has gone up in drought-hit districts, and all small irrigation tanks and command areas tanks are full. All tanks in Chikballapur, Kolar, Chitradurga, Chamarajanagar, Kalaburagi, Bidar and Koppal are full. The state has received 144 per cent excess rain during the last week of August. In first five days of current month, the state has received 51 per cent excess rain.

The weather department has predicted heavy rains in south and north interior Karnataka for the next four days.

Bommai said some areas in Bengaluru City has received 150 per cent more rains than the normal rain between September 1 and 5. Mahadevapura, Bommanahalli and K R Puram have recorded 307 per cent excess rain.

This was the highest rainfall in the last 42 years. All the 164 tanks in Bengaluru are filled to the brim and the excess water along with rain, was flooding residential areas in south Bengaluru.