Horamavu flood risk rises as stormwater drain project lags; GBA targets December completion

BENGALURU: Another October, and Horamavu in East Bengaluru is facing the threat of flood. Last year, a cloudburst in Yelahanka, Byatrayanpura, and Hebbal Upper stream flooded homes in Sai Layout, Vaddarapalya, and nearby areas on October 21 and 22. For the past five years the area has been getting flooded during moderate and heavy rains. In 2022, plans were made to expand the stormwater drain and fix vents at Geddalahalli Railway Under Bridge, but the railways nod is still pending. Following protests, the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) decided to increase the vent size at a cost of Rs 13.36 crore. Two box structures, each 6 meters wide and 4.5 meters high, are being cast for installation under the railway track. The authorities will have to take permission from the railways for the placement of the girder, and this requires digging under railway track. Recently, to ensure that the project is not delayed further, GBA Chief Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao inspected the project and reviewed the progress, directing the officials to complete the work by the end of December. But we are worried about the North East Monsoon as the area floods during October and November due to heavy rains. If there were proper efforts, the work would have been completed much earlier, said Venkatesh, a Horamavu resident. A social worker said the sufferings of Sai Layout and Vaddarpalya residents have remained unsolved since 2020, and every time it floods, residents curse the authorities. Progress is slow, with only 40% of the work completed. The Stormwater Drain Department of GBA is handling the casting of concrete boxes and has authority over this task. According to an engineer from the KR Puram Division, at least 70% should have been finished by now. Apart from the flooding threat, the traffic on Hennur-Bagalur Road is also a major concern in the surrounding area, and the Chief Commissioner has directed the Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Limited (B-SMILE) officials to accelerate the pace of work on white-topping work. He has directed Bengaluru East City Corporation to ensure proper maintenance of CCTV cameras installed at such locations to curb illegal dumping, as black spots have become visible and during rains, the garbage spills and causes traffic in the surrounding area.