BBMP's sensors failed to send out flood alert

Bengaluru: BBMP had recently claimed that the corporation officials will be getting alerts about impending flood impending flooding of residential localities or traffic police getting information on a junction about to be waterlogged.

Alerts of this kind, which can go a long way in evacuating residents from vulnerable areas or diverting traffic to save commuters from getting stuck in endless snarls are set to be a reality in Bengaluru. But heavy rains lashed the city last week and in the wee hours as there was a warning message from the sensors which caused drains to overflow.

According to reports, the corporation has identified 270 sensitive areas that could be flooded in the event of rainfall in the BBMP range. Sensor were installed on the sides of the rails, as soon as rainwater crosses the critical point in drains (75 percent water), alerts will be sent to the data centre, which in turn, gets designated officials to swing into damage control action.

BBMP held a review meeting on monsoon preparation in the month of June under the chairmanship of the revenue minister. Officials claimed they are fully prepared to deal with rain hazards for this year.

The locations were chosen after a detailed study and based on past flooding experience. The corporation felt that there was no need to install sensors in all 182 vulnerable locations. With the help of one sensor, four to five connecting locations can be covered. But this time in some places the sensor had failed. The corporation had acted immediately," said a senior BBMP official.

The BBMP had identified the locations with the help of the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Authority. Storm water drains (rajakaluve) are now being maintained regularly. The city's 422-km-long Storm water Drains has an annual maintenance lease of Rs 42 crore, but the overflowing during rains continued.

Over a decade, homes, apartments and commercial complexes were built. There was no proper space for water flow which lead to flood-like situation on the city outskirts. Reports suggest that most of the disasters occurred in Bommanahalli, Bengaluru South and Rajarajeshwar Nagar and surrounding areas in the last two years. This year, it has extended to Dasarahalli and Batarayanapura range in the Hebbal Manyata Tech Park.

"It is because of the carelessness and substandard work by BBMP. They announce that sensors have been installed to alert the flood. But now the result is out. The so-called new technology did not work, " said Santosth, a resident of Rajarajeshwar Nagar. Dr Rajkumar Road (Magadi Road), Gali Anjaneyaswamy Temple, BMTC Shanthinagar (Koramangala Valley), Byraveshwara Industrial Estate Area, Mattikere, Ashwath Nagar, Kaverappa Layout (Vasanth Nagar), Shivajinagar, Pai Layout (Mahadevapura), Chikkabasavanapura, Kanakanagar (Bommanahalli), Central Silk Board, Kalappa Layout (HAL), Vrishabhavathi Nagar (Kottigepalya), Jnana Jyothi Nagar (Malathahalli), Srinivasa Nagar (Banashankari) and Doddabidarakallu are few place where BBMP had installed sensors.