Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Special Commissioner (Finance) Jayaram Raipura presented the civic body's budget on Thursday, March 2 , with a major focus on stormwater drains and flood safety. The highest allocation of Rs 7103.53 crore went to public works, which is more than 60% of the total outlay of Rs 11,1570 crore.
Stormwater drains got the second highest allocation of Rs 1643.72 crore, with over Rs 70 crore allocated towards maintenance and Rs 15 crore towards emergency monsoon works. An amount of Rs 55 crore has been earmarked for repairs and maintenance of primary and secondary drains, and Rs 35 crore for reviving 12 lakes.
“Bengaluru received record rainfall of 1,958 mm during 2022-23. This is a new record since 1858. Although this is 203% above normal, the areas affected by floods were less than the previous year,” Jayaram said, referring to the 2022 Bengaluru floods which happened after heavy rainfall caused lakes in the city to swell and flood nearby areas.
A comprehensive detailed project report has been prepared to manage climate change and floods in Bengaluru. However, the details of the report are not yet known. “A comprehensive pre-plan of Rs 3,000 crore is being prepared with the help of the World Bank so that there is no major damage due to extreme weather and flood situations in the coming years. This scheme will be implemented over a period of three years,” Jayaram added.
The budget also included an announcement about the development of 108 km of high density corridors at a cost of Rs 273 crore. A total of 195 km of Rajakaluve (stormwater drains) are being constructed with concrete retaining walls, and 152 encroachment removal drives have been carried out to clear stormwater drain encroachment in the year 2022-23.