Bengaluru rains: Civic chief inspects flooded areas; tractors deployed in Kendriya Vihar apartment

Two tractors have been arranged to assist residents with transportation in and out of Kendriya Vihar Apartment in Yelahanka on Wednesday (October 16, 2024).
| Photo Credit: Sudhakara Jain

After heavy rainfall on Tuesday (October 15, 2024), several locations in Bengaluru, including the Kendriya Vihar Apartment in Yelahanka, experienced severe flooding, prompting the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to deploy tractors to assist residents in movement and evacuation.

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BBMP’s chief commissioner Tushar Giri Nath, along with a team of officials, visited the area to assess the situation. Mr. Giri stated that he had instructed his team to take immediate action to resolve the issue, with floodwaters reaching up to three feet in some places.

Temporary drain

“A temporary drain is being constructed on private land adjacent to the existing canal. Once completed, the water will be diverted through this drain. Currently, two fire trucks are pumping water out of the area,” he said.  

Mr. Giri also mentioned that a help desk had been set up the previous evening to provide essentials like drinking water, milk, bread, and biscuits to the affected residents. Two tractors have been arranged to assist residents with transportation in and out of the apartment complex.

Due to NHA work

The BBMP chief explained that Yelahanka Lake has two outflow channels, or Kodis. The northern Kodi directs water toward Kendriya Vihar Apartments, and efforts are being made to reduce the water flow from this channel. “As the water level increases in the southern Kodi, the northern Kodi’s flow will decrease. Immediate measures are being taken to manage this,” he added.

“Water is not passing as there are not enough vents due to the national highway in the surrounding areas. This was noticed by the BBMP two years ago and alerted; however, the National Highway Authority gave approval for the vents which is causing water logging for residents in these areas. There are farmlands also in the surroundings that will be affected by this,” Mr. Giri added.

Diverted water flowing systems

“Both the Kendriya Sadan and Manyata Tech Park are being flooded as they have diverted their water flowing systems, and it is not an issue that has come to be due to the negligence of the BBMP,” Mr. Giri said.

The BBMP chief also inspected Ramana Shree Layout and California Layout, where a diversion channel had previously been built to prevent water from entering these areas. Despite these efforts, rainwater has entered the layouts, and pumps are being used to drain it.

The chief commissioner is expected to visit Puttenahalli, Manyata Tech Park, and other inundated and high-risk areas in the remaining zones in the city.