BBMP urges public to avoid underpasses without visible danger markings

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: A year after a 23-year-old girl drowned in the K R Circle underpass amids a deluge, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is set to paint a red line in underpasses in the city to mark danger levels when flooded by rains, recent reports have suggested.

Officials have conducted safety audits at 53 underpasses, and have come up with this measure to avoid such incidents. On May 21 2023, Bhanurekha, a techie was in the vehicle that got submerged in the swirling water.

Soon after the incident, traffic police installed barricades at such flood-prone spots when it starts to pour. Officials have marked the red point at 1.5 to 2 feet height in the underpasses, reports said.

The public have been instructed not to enter underpasses where the red mark is fully hidden. Another measure undertaken by BBMP is to build additional drains like the one at KR Circle and install CCTV cameras to help civic officials keep a watch on water levels and act swiftly in case of any danger.

However, it remains to be seen if the temporary solutions mooted by the civic agency will elicit a response. Incidentally, the KR Circle underpass is just a stone’s throw away from Vidhana Soudha and was opened in 2009.

Exper ts have also lashed out at the poor planning of underpasses. Waterlogging in underpasses, they contend, is due to the accumulation of silt and garbage being dumped at vital spots.