Frustrated by floods, Bengaluru’s Yelahanka residents move National Green Tribunal, get nod for drain

Bengaluru: Two years of knee-deep water and silence from civic authorities pushed residents of Ramanashree Layout, near Yelahanka in north Bengaluru, to a point of no return. With monsoon bringing not just rain, but raw sewage into their homes, they approached National Green Tribunal (NGT) in early 2023. On May 2 this year, the tribunal ruled in their favour.

The order directs BBMP and BWSSB to resume and complete long-pending stormwater drain (SWD) and sewer works. Both had been left incomplete since 2021, causing severe flooding and sewage contamination in multiple localities, including Ramanashree Layout and Esteem Northwood Apartments.

The source of the problem is an SWD that begins in Attur Layout, winds through Anantapur village, and was originally meant to drain into Puttenahalli Lake. However, the forest department is said to have blocked the drain's access to the lake in 2015 after it was declared a bird sanctuary. That decision created a dead-end at Anantapur Gate, causing floodwaters — and sewage — to backflow into residential areas.

"Whenever it rains, there is knee-level water here," said a 50-year-old resident of Ramanashree California Gardens Layout. "We had enough of the damage and decided to fight the civic bodies. We are happy with the judgment. Work has begun but at a slow pace."

Residents say BBMP had originally begun work on the SWD in 2021, but abandoned it midway.

The NGT's southern bench in Chennai also lifted a stay on a critical 600-metre sewer line along an existing walkway, clearing the way for BWSSB to complete the diversion network. The plan is to direct upstream sewage to a treatment plant, preventing untreated waste from entering Puttenahalli Lake or the SWD.

A BWSSB engineer told the tribunal the 600-metre stretch is crucial to achieving that diversion. The bench allowed the work to proceed immediately, citing urgency of monsoon. It also instructed BWSSB to ensure that no sewage enters the SWD and to act against any apartments or collection wells polluting the channel.

"During rain, water overflows, and we have been facing this for the past two years," said Rubeena M, a resident of Esteem Northwood. "Recently, I had to leave my car and take a cab through knee-deep water. It's become so bad that villa residents are forced to move to hotels during heavy rains."

The tribunal also called for an investigation into pollution caused by an unlined collection well in the area and asked for suitable corrective measures. While the construction has been allowed to continue for now, the bench noted that the question of whether alternate land can be used for the sewer line will be examined in the main application.