Mysuru: The recent rains caused havoc in many areas across the city. It was probably for the first time that the officials were exposed to the lacunae when it came to managing rain-related woes. Among the areas which faced problem was Paduvarahalli where rain water entered houses, causing nightmare to the residents.

In fact, Chief Minister Siddharamaiah had also conducted an inspection of rain-affected areas and had instructed the authorities to take measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

As part of damage control measures, the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) has been installing magic boxes on the Hunsur Road between Paduvarahalli and Kukkarahalli Lake to enable easy flow of rain water into the lake. The Hunsur Road has been dug up for the purpose of replacing the existing pipeline with magic boxes. The MCC will install 17 magic boxes initially and open the road for traffic.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, former Mayor and Corporator N.M. Rajeshwari said, “There is also need for additional magic boxes to be installed on the either sides of the road. Since the boxes are out of stock, the MCC will construct the boxes on-the-spot to prevent floods in the future.”

More than 100 houses in the low-lying areas of Paduvarahalli were flooded as there was no natural outlet for water. Now that the magic boxes will be laid, water can flow from the residential area to the ‘Gomala’ and then to the Lake.

What is Magic Box?

Magic box is a Pre-cast Concrete Box Culvert that is an easily-installed conduit used to enclose small roads, pathways or flowing water (example: streams, storm-water or drains) passing beneath roads, railways or embankments.