Pottery Town bears the brunt of monsoon, decades of BBMP neglect

Sowmya Raju | NT

Bengaluru: Pottery Town in Bengaluru, the century-old town of artisans, was brought to a standstill on Tuesday as rains lashed the city, causing widespread waterlogging, and vehicle breakdowns.

But this is not the first and only time for this area to face the wrath of monsoon in the city.

Pottery Town Road, a densely populated area is bearing the brunt of every downpour. The scenes of chaos and disruption serve as a reminder of the city's struggle with monsoon flooding.

For decades, Pottery Town has been plagued by waterlogging during the rainy season, with little to no action being taken by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the city's municipal corporation.

"This is a common occurrence here," said a resident to News Trail, expressing his frustration at the recurring problem.

"We have been facing this issue for generations, and nothing is being done to address it."

Another resident of the area, Ramya, whose family has lived here for generations said that rain will come, our houses will be waterlogged and we just wait for the water the flow out.”

The region is situated in a low-lying area with inadequate drainage infrastructure. A polluted rajakaluve serves as the primary outlet for rainwater in this locality.

According to the residents, the time it takes for the water to completely recede and life to return to normal can vary ranging from 30 minutes to over 12 hours.

During this waiting period, residents are compelled to relocate their belongings to higher ground as they patiently await the water's retreat. Given that a significant portion of the area's residents are engaged in pottery making, they often incur substantial losses due to rain damage.

The inability to protect their wet pottery, which needs to dry, results in losses. One local potter, Netravalli, said, "Due to the rain, we typically lose at least 10 pieces out of the 50 we create in a year.”

Another resident said that if the waterlogging happens for prolonged hours, we get into the water and unclog the drains and try to make the water flow away because we know if we don't do it, no one is going to.”

The root of the problem lies in the city's inadequate drainage system, which is unable to cope with the heavy monsoon rains. Over the years, haphazard development and waterway encroachment have further exacerbated the situation.

The BBMP's inaction is leaving residents feeling helpless and frustrated. "We've raised complaints with the authorities, but nothing is being done," told Ramya.

“The land has been leased to us by the government and we are just renters here, there is nothing more we can do.”