Encroachments, Raja Kaluve blockages result in water-logging and misery

Mysore/Mysuru: Rain water that was limited to flooding of low-lying areas and around clogged storm water drains till now has started entering many layouts, thanks to the encroachments and constructions that are blocking the age-old Raja Kaluves. For example, the Vijayanagar Fourth Stage R.C. Layout that is one of the expensive layouts around Mysuru city.

Heavy rain that lashed on Monday night resulted in mass flooding where water entered into houses and the residents had to spend sleepless nights clearing the water. The main reason for the flooding is the blockages in Raja Kaluves. Before the layout was formed, rain water smoothly flowed into the lakes nearby.

After the layout was formed, indiscriminate and unscientific construction ignored the Raja Kaluves and as such, the natural drain system was disrupted. Many houses and sheds have been built on the Raja Kaluves and several other natural drains have closed with wild growth. Sky-rocketing land prices, greedy real estate lobbies and unscrupulous builders have contributed to the misery in connivance with local administrative bodies.

These blockages resulted in widespread flooding with houses in low-lying areas bearing the brunt. People could not move out of their houses from yesterday morning till around 1.30 pm due to flooding. As the layout was flooded and there were no signs of water receding, Bogadi Town Panchayat Chief Officer D.N. Vijayakumar and team visited R.C. Layout along with Health Inspector Punith and cleared some of the blockages with earth-movers and enabled smooth flow of water to the storm water drains.