A new sub-division will be formed under BBMP this year to overlook the monsoon conditions.
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has decided to set up 64 sub-divisional control rooms and nine zonal temporary control rooms this year to address the complaints of the citizens.
Apart from the usual team of staff in the monsoon control room, BBMP will appoint additional four staff in each sub-divisional control room. They have also coordinated with the fire department officers in every zone to clear the trees that fall on the roads during heavy rains.
The control rooms are usually planned for June to November; they have increased the staff and improved emergency equipment, following a heavy rain forecast for Bangalore this year. Bangalore is expected to rain for 24 days in June 2022 and around 30 days in July.
G.S.Srinivasa Reddy, senior consultant to the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority, said that control rooms act as sources not just to give information but also to collect information about the prevailing situation. He added that the work is not done after setting up a control room; equipping the departments with the required relief materials and staff is equally important.
Chandra Manohar, a resident of Bommanahalli said, “Our place gets flooded every year. Every year, we get control room contact numbers to call if we have any complaints during the floods. But we need a permanent solution which will stop flooding in our area.” Bommanahalli has 12 flood-prone zones which is the highest in the city
Reddy said that it is not possible to completely solve the flood problem but can be mitigated through effective actions. He said the drainage system in the city is capable of managing only 70 percent of the run-offs.
BBMP Commission Tushar Giri Nath said that monsoon preparedness is one of his top priorities when he first met the media after swearing in as the Commissioner of BBMP.
BBMP control rooms have staffs from Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM), Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and the police department along with the BBMP staff. The set up of temporary monsoon control room is a every year task for the BBMP since 2009. In 2009, the state witnessed 260 mm of rain.
