Monsoon turns potholes into death traps… for riders, pedestrians alike

Sowmya Raju | NT

Bengaluru: The recent rains in Bengaluru have brought muchneeded relief from the heat, but they have also exposed the city's poor infrastructure.

Potholes have become a major problem, causing inconvenience to the various road users. The potholes are not only a safety hazard, but also a nuisance. They make it difficult for people to get around, and they can damage vehicles.

The city has been slow to fix the potholes, and this has only added to the frustration of residents. The rains have also made the potholes more dangerous.

When it rains, the potholes fill with water, making them difficult to see. This can lead to accidents, as riders and pedestrians may not be able to see the potholes until it is too late.

Sometimes when there is a pothole and the vehicle coming at a certain speed suddenly stops or slows down, the vehicle behind might crash into the vehicle ahead causing an accident. Sandeep Anirudhan, Convenor of Bengaluru Mobility, and Citizens Agenda for Bengaluru, and a prominent activist from Whitefield, has said that the root cause of potholes on Bengaluru roads is poor engineering.

The government needs to enforce strict technical and quality control mechanisms, including warranty periods in contracts, and ensure transparency. Road cutting by multiple agencies and poor restoration should be stopped.

The government should also introduce penalties for non-compliance and rewards for good maintenance. Shreya Chopra, a resident of Bengaluru who walks to and from the metro station on a daily basis shared her experience as unpleasant, especially during monsoon.

She said, “After construction, potholes are just patched up and not levelled which poses a risk for twowheelers losing control.”

Although Sherya has not faced any accidents, she has had several close calls with bikers diverting their vehicles from potholes towards pedestrians. Hemendra Madnawat, the President of HM Tambourine Apartment owners association addressed this issue as a safety hazard that cannot be ignored.

Talking about the several potholes that are present on the main road near his apartment, he said, “There are multiple potholes 20 meters before the signal causing a heavy traffic jam as vehicles try to avoid these potholes and slow down whole traffic, especially during peak hours.”

He also called for the respective authorities to fix the potholes as he has witnessed several bikers losing control of their vehicles owing to this.

Raghavendra, an environmentally conscious person who chooses to take his cycle to work says his cycling takes a backseat during monsoons since roads are filled with rain water and can be fatal to cyclists on a busy main road.

What else is going wrong?

Ashish Verma, a professor of civil engineering at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, says that laying roads is a basic skill that is taught in the first year of every civil engineering programme.

He notes that if roads are properly constructed, they should last for at least five to six years. However, in Bengaluru, roads often develop potholes within a few months. Verma attributes this to poor construction practices, not to the monsoon season.

He argues that “someone” is not doing their job properly and that this is having a negative impact on the city. Interestingly, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has a rule that prohibits the digging of newly-laid or restored roads for three years.

This rule was implemented in 2022 in response to public outrage over the poor condition of roads in Bengaluru. But several residents claim that this rule is broken quite often and there is no coordination between the people who dig the road.

Residents also complain that while digging of the road happened at a fast pace, the restoration takes place for several weeks or months.