Unexpected Afternoon Heavy Rains Got City Streets Flooded- So What’s the Use having New Drainage?

Unexpected Afternoon Heavy Rains Got City Streets Flooded- So What’s the Use having New Drainage?

Unexpected Afternoon Heavy Rains this afternoon Got City Streets Flooded- So What’s the Use having New Drainage? Hard earned tax-payers money gone down the drain!

Mangaluru : It’s sad to note that even after decades of city experiencing flooding during monsoons still they have not found a permanent solution for this problem, which arises year after year during heavy rains. And in spite of constructing new drains, it looks like its a waste of tax-payers money, since water is still oozing out of these drains onto the roads, creating havoc to motorists and pedestrians. For years people have seen flooding in front of City Centre Mall, on KS Rao road- and even this year it is the same, with water gushing out of the manhole resulting in flooding of the road. Also many other streets near Bendore, Kankanady, Bunder, GHS Rd and few other streets got flooded, within few minutes of downpour.

Even though the various problems created by the flooding and so on, was an eye-opener for Mangaluru City Corporation honchos, City engineers/contractors and other officials but it doesn’t seems like they have learned anything nor they care to improve and rectify the problems- while the streets remain still flooded during heavy rains. So by the way, why does this happen? Fundamentally, the existing infrastructure and drainage system in the city cannot handle the excess water whenever there’s a downpour. Originally, storm water drains in the City were designed in keeping the water stored- They served the purpose so long as the population of the city was within a certain limit. The unprecedented growth of Mangaluru, unaccompanied by the necessary infrastructure, has precipitated problems of a large magnitude. The city drainage system comprises major drains, roadside drains and shoulder drains, all of which get overburdened during the rainy season.

Regarding the newly constructed drainage- most of them don’t have a proper beginning and a proper end- as a result drain water overflows on to the streets. Poor planning and poor work, for sure. Also culverts are not de-silted; puddles not identified; no proper channels to drain rain water in many parts of the city; also MCC says that solid waste management contractors have failed to remove garbage/debris choked drains.

In conclusion, encroachments, revenue layouts and illegal constructions, especially along storm water drains and in low-lying areas, are other major causes of flooding. These problems are common to all cities in India and are not peculiar to Mangaluru. In fact, coastal cities like Mangaluru face bigger problems, virtually every monsoon. What’s required is a comprehensive approach to the problem, which essentially involves putting in place a sustainable drainage management system as in developed countries. A storm water drain renovation and management projects pertaining to these issues need tobe implemented soon.

As the city grows in population and sprawl, there’s a need for concerted action on the part of city planning and civic agencies to tackle the problem of flooding, which can not only damage the physical infrastructure but has serious implications on the safety and security of the people. Building a good drainage system should form a part of the Mangaluru Master Plan , which is lacking terribly. While the City officials and local MLA’s, MLC and other politicians are boasting about Mangaluru as one of the “SMART CITY” of India, it is time that they also put in some dedicated, sincere and committed “SMART” people to manage effective work in the development of the city- and also make sure that the drainage and footpaths are constructed to the standards, which will benefit the citizens of Mangaluru.