BANGALORE: ‘Better late than never’ would probably be an apt phrase to describe the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike’s storm water drain (SWD) desilting work that has been in progress for almost a month now. The Palike finally seems to have taken into account the inconvenience caused to the residents who reside in close proximity to the Challaghatta Valley SWD.According to Mayuri Nigam, a resident of an apartment near the drain on Old Airport Road, the stench from the drain has been making life difficult for her ever since she shifted into her house. “I moved into my home two years ago, and unfortunately, the only flat available was the one facing the drain. Even though I live on the fifth floor yet I could not open the door to my balcony because of the stench,” she said.Though the work maybe a feather in the Palike’s cap, the authorities concerned seem tad confused about exactly how long has it been since the SWD was desilted. While one of the officials said that the silt was removed approximately five years ago, the SWD chief engineer, Ananthswamy claimed that the drain was desilted only a year ago. “Desilting the drain is an on going process. We cleared the silt from the SWD last year,” he asserted. But the question that arises is, if the drain was desilted only last year, where was the silt that was removed from it placed or dumped?The engineer further supported his claims by mentioning the factors that add to the silt deposit in the drains. He said, “Soil erosion and garbage disposal into the drain compound the problem. We must plant greenery near the drains and construct proper retaining walls to reduce the impact of soil erosion. Also, large portions of household wastes is dumped into the drain everyday. Almost 30 to 40 per cent of the total garbage generated by the city is disposed here,” he said.He further added that the Palike’s storm water drain department is not in charge of desilting the SWD this year instead, the task will be taken up by various zonal engineers. Hegde, the assistant executive engineer (AEE) in charge of the desilting work informed City Express that the work began on the August 2. According to him, of the 2.7 Km length of the SWD, only 300 metres is remaining. He also mentioned that the reason for the stench that emanates from the drain is due to sewage disposal in the SWD. “Sewage from a couple of slums that are located close to the drain is the main cause for the foul smell,” he said.Hegde also said that according to the data collected by him the drain had not been desilted for the last 10 years or so. “While desilting, a 11 kVA cable had burst. The cable was almost touching the floor of the drain. When I enquired with the BESCOM authorities as to why they had ignored the safety measures, they informed that the cable had been there for the last 10 years. Neither was the drain desilted during that time and nor had anyone complained,” he revealed.At the moment 40,000 cubic metres of silt has been removed from the SWD. However, the silt from the drain has been dumped along the drain. When questioned if the rains would wash down all their efforts, he explained that the silt has to be dried for it to be transported. “We can’t transport wet silt. It would probably be another seven to ten days before the silt from Old Airport Road is removed. By the first week of September we will finish the work and all the silt will be transported by September 15,” he said. Unfortunately for residents of the apartment nearby, they have no option but to wait.Meanwhile another reason for the inability to remove the silt from the location was the confusion regarding the dumping ground. According to the AEE, MS Palya, was the initial dumping spot that was identified. However, the residents resisted the Palike’s decision and now the new dumping spot allocated is in Hennur Bande.BWSSB at workSeems like its not just the Palike that is hard at work, the BWSSB is also working simultaneously to rehabilitate and replace old sewage pipelines.The assistant executive engineer, Rahul, said, “We are replacing the old pipes. Since the pipes had lived their entire lifespan, we are replacing them with better quality and bigger diametre pipes. We are using NP3 class RCC pipes. Unfortunately due to approvals and permissions the work has been delayed.” The pipes used for the purpose range between those with 700mm and 2,400 diametre. The engineer explained that these pipes will be better equipped to meet the demands. In the entire network that begins from Miller’s Road and ends near Diamond District five locations have been identified where the pipes have been laid without digging a trench. The pipes will be inserted using hydraulic pressure which will remove the earth and push the pipes in simultaneously“The five locations are, Miller’s Road near Jain Hospital, Queens Road near the Congress office, Domlur 1 and 2 and MV Gardens. Of these Domlur 2 and MV garden has been completed while Domlur 1 and Queen’s Road are under progress. It will take us another five months to complete the entire work,” he added.
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