Good morning, Bengaluru!
⛅ Today’s weather: High: 36 ℃ | Low: 23 ℃ | Partly cloudy sky.
🧐 Did you know? Hebbal Lake was created by Kempe Gowda in 1537.
⛐ Weekend road risks surge
Fatal road accidents spike on weekends in Bengaluru.
What’s it about? Recent data from the Bengaluru Traffic Police reveals a troubling increase in fatal road accidents over weekends compared to weekdays. The year’s data shows that over 32% of the city’s 883 fatal accidents occurred on Saturdays and Sundays.
- Fatalities on Sundays increased to 152 from 115, and on Saturdays to 133 from 103, marking a rise of nearly 30%.
- Experts attribute the rise to higher speeds due to lower traffic density on weekends, compounded by risky behaviours such as drunk-driving and lack of attention to traffic rules.
Where and when? This phenomenon is particularly pronounced in rural areas and on major exit routes like Kanakapura and Ballari Roads. Observations also highlight a significant rise in accidents between 3 pm and 6 pm on weekends, a time usually less congested, leading to riskier driving conditions.
🆘 Efficient emergency response
Namma 112 sees significant improvement in response times.
Reduction in response time: Over the first quarter of the year, Bengaluru’s emergency response service, Namma 112, handled over 6.47 lakh calls, with a notable reduction in response times thanks to streamlined operations. The city’s rapid response team, Hoysala, has cut down their average response time to 7-9 minutes from the previous 11-15 minutes.
- March witnessed the peak of emergency calls, totalling over 2.3 lakh, with 39,546 requiring actionable responses.
- Daily, approximately 1,000-1,200 calls require the deployment of Hoysala units, which now benefit from enhancements like dashcams and advanced training.
Updating SOS manual: Despite improvements, challenges persist, particularly in navigating heavy traffic in busy areas, which can delay response times. The city police are considering updates to their SOS manual to optimize planning and execution further. Currently, Bengaluru operates 241 Hoysala vehicles to manage its emergency responses effectively across the city.
💧 Campaign to enhance groundwater recharge
“Free the Tree: Root of the Matter” kicks off in Indiranagar.
What’s it about? In an innovative collaboration, the “Free the Tree: Root of the Matter” campaign, spearheaded by local NGO volunteers and governmental bodies, has begun in Bengaluru’s Indiranagar. This initiative focuses on enhancing water percolation to recharge the groundwater through natural methods by freeing the roots of city trees from concretization.
- The campaign, supported by iCare Foundation and Jaya Karnataka Janapara Vedike, uses techniques like root pruning, air spading, and mulching.
- Over 60 trees in Indiranagar have already had their base pits loosened, significantly boosting their water absorption capacity.
Involving the public: The campaign aims to attract community involvement and spread to other parts of the city, using Indiranagar’s blend of commercial and residential settings as a model. Each treated pit could collect 300-400 litres of rainwater in moderate rainfall, contributing significantly to the city’s water sustainability efforts.
🗳️ Vigilance boosted at polling stations
Bengaluru’s election oversight has been strengthened with micro observers.
What’s it about? Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Bengaluru’s District Election Officer, Tushar Girinath, has emphasized the critical role of micro observers in ensuring fair polling across the city. During a training session at Puttanna Chetty Town Hall, Girinath highlighted the deployment of observers to monitor the proceedings meticulously.
- 305 critical and vulnerable polling stations have been identified across 28 assembly constituencies within the city and nearby areas.
- A total of 365 micro observers will oversee these stations, with additional support from video and webcasting technologies.
Maintaining integrity: The micro observers are tasked with a comprehensive monitoring duty, from the morning’s mock polls to the conclusion of voting in the evening. This initiative is part of a broader effort to maintain transparency and integrity in the electoral process, ensuring that all activities at polling booths are conducted smoothly and securely.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you follow Indian football?
- I follow Indian football.
- I don’t follow Indian football.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
How many meals do you eat in a day?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Kyndryl has opened a new state-of-the-art office spanning 250,000 square feet in Bengaluru’s Embassy Manyata Business Park.
- The Bengaluru water board has installed five lakh aerators in public taps.
- A bike drive involving the transgender community was organised in Bengaluru to raise awareness and funds for orphan housing.
- A puppet show in Bengaluru is being used to increase voting awareness.
- Bengaluru’s demand for treated water has surged from 60,000 litres to 60 lakh litres per day.
That’s it for today. Have a great day!