The remodelling of Koramangala Storm Water Drain (SWD) will be soon taken up by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) SWD at a total cost of Rs 25.25 crore. After removing the silt, retaining walls and the concrete floor would be constructed. This project has been split into two – One from Ejipura to Ashwini Layout bridge, the SWD would be remodelled at a cost of Rs 8.8 crore and the other from Ashwini Layout bridge to Shanthinagar Housing Society bridge in ST Bed layout would be remodelled at a cost of Rs 16.45 crore. Within two years of time it would be completed. Once the project is completed, flooding in Koramangala would be solved. The residents of the area have thanked the Minister Ramalinga Reddy.
Addressing the residents soon after inaugurating the new borewell at Koramangala 4th Block on Friday morning, Bengaluru District incharge Minister Ramalinga Reddy said that the remodelling of SWD proposal had come before the cabinet and has been approved. Once this project is completed, the problem of flooding in Koramangala especially in 4th block would be solved to a great extent, he said. So also the Mestripalya Lake work is getting completed and the rain water would be diverted into the lake, he added.
BBMP SWD Executive Engineer Govinde Gowda said that the SWD would be desilted, proper levels would be taken and concrete floor would be laid so that the rainwater flows into Bellandur lake without any problem. Once this project work is completed, we hope there would be no flooding in Koramangala, he said. When asked about the 4th Block flooding problem, he said that drain (near Govinda Rao’s house) that connect’s the SWD in ST Bed (near M F Hussain’s house) is of same levels. Hence when the water level rises in SWD, the water level in this particular drain also rises and in turn back flows which causes floods, he said. The problem could be solved once for all if the drain from 4th block is taken parallel along the SWD and get connected with it further downstream, he said.
But there is no space to do this work since the BDA has allotted sites to citizens when it formed layout four decades ago.
Also when the remodelling of SWD work is over, the level of SWD would be slightly lower than that of the 4th block drain and hopes that no flooding will take place thereafter, Govinde Gowda added.
Background
The 4th Block residents especially living on the 5th cross and adjoining roads had nightmare experiences during the last monsoon due to flooding of rain water into their houses. After this, the residents had protested and the Koramangala 4th Block Residents’ Welfare Association had petitioned the government. City Kemp had reported in detail in various issues and the same had been attached along with the petition stating that the newspaper report was self explanatory. After which, the Chief Minister had directed the BBMP to give a report of action by December last.
In the mean time, the Minister Ramalinga Reddy along with BBMP engineers had visited the affected areas and had apprised the government about the problem faced by residents.
