Good morning, Bengaluru!
🌦️ Today’s weather: Thundershowers and a light breeze.
🧐 Did you know? The Samsung Opera House was just the Opera House previously. KR Kanakarathnam bought it in 1959 as a cinema hall.
☔ Rain few and far between
Delayed monsoon in Karnataka causes reservoir water levels to drop.
Rainfall deficit: Data from the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Cell (KSNDMC) suggests that the prime catchment areas of Karnataka have experienced a severe shortage of rainfall during the first 25 days of the monsoon season. Water from here flows into the Tungabhadra and Kaveri rivers.
- Malnad districts like Shivamogga, Chikmagalur, and Kodagu, known for their tributaries, have witnessed a significant rainfall deficit of 78%.
- Bengaluru Urban recorded 49 mm of rainfall – 26% less than the expected amount. Overall, Karnataka has experienced a rainfall deficit of 64%.
Outlier: South Interior Karnataka is the only region in the state that has come close to the average rainfall levels. It still witnesses a 26% deficit.
Why it matters? The delayed onset of the monsoon in Karnataka, which arrived on June 10 instead of the usual June 5, is to blame for the rainfall shortage. Since its arrival, the monsoon has been weak, with sporadic showers. As a result, crucial reservoirs like the KRS dam and Tungabhadra have low water levels.
- As of June 24, the KRS dam held 9.93 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water compared to 28.35 TMC last year, while Tungabhadra contained 4.18 TMC against the previous year’s 43.92 TMC.
🛣️ Speed cameras on Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway
The police have asked India’s highway authorities to install safety measures on the expressway to restrict fatalities.
Fatal trouble: Efforts are underway to enhance safety on the newly-constructed Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway, as the number of fatalities has reached 100, with over 350 injuries in the past three months. The district administrations of Ramanagara and Mandya, covering a significant portion of the 117 km-long highway, have conducted a detailed analysis of the accidents.
- According to the Ramanagara and Mandya district police, the expressway has witnessed 79 fatal casualties and 226 non-fatal mishaps, resulting in 94 deaths and 353 injuries.
- A small section of the expressway falls under the jurisdiction of Mysuru City Police, where four fatal accidents have claimed the lives of five individuals.
Causes: Speeding and reckless driving are the major causes. Motorists, frustrated by slow traffic in Bengaluru, tend to accelerate abruptly on the expressway, resulting in collisions. Inspections revealed additional hazards, such as the absence of skywalks, water stagnation, insufficient signage, and inadequate lighting under flyovers.
Suggestions: The police have suggested installing high-quality speed cameras to monitor over-speeding and impose penalties, placing sign boards at access points and accident-prone areas, resolving water stagnation problems, and constructing skywalks or subways for pedestrian safety.
🛍️ Plastic still looms large
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will revise its efforts to eliminate plastic use.
Story so far: To tackle single-use plastic (SUP) pollution, the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MOEFCC) banned 19 SUP items from July 1, 2022. The BBMP took proactive measures to enforce the ban, resulting in significant fines and seizures. In the coming days, the BBMP is likely to ramp up its drive again.
- The Palike welcomes suggestions from stakeholders to eliminate banned SUPs from the city. They’re also going to expand their team.
- The banned SUP items include plastic sticks, flags, cutlery, plates, cups, trays, and wrapping films, among other things.
Plastic prevails: Despite the BBMPs previous efforts, the rampant sale and use of banned items continue in Bengaluru. Experts highlight the need for a BBMP-led campaign to raise awareness among consumers about the banned items. They also emphasise the importance of providing green alternatives like cloth bags.
- In 2015 the Karnataka government showed foresight by banning plastics below 40 microns thickness. Now it appears to have regressed, reflecting the need for renewed action.
🚧 Hazards on Brigade Road
The authorities haven’t shown much commitment to fixing a broken patch of footpath on Brigade Road.
Site of danger: Brigade Road, a busy shopping district in the central business area, is currently marred by a broken patch on the footpath that poses a significant threat to commuters. Adding to the issue are four protruding metal rods near a popular eatery, creating a dangerous eyesore. Despite the area receiving a facelift two years ago under the Bengaluru Smart City project, the broken spot is unchecked.
- Temporary measures such as sand-filled sacks, cones, and ticker tape were put in place, but they didn’t address the bigger problem of incomplete construction and inadequate safety measures.
- To make matters worse, some individuals have started dumping waste at the location.
Now what? An assistant executive engineer of Smart City (BenSCL) has said they will look into it.
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🗞️ In other news…
- In a first, the BBMP will use drones for dog census.
- The traffic police has recorded 35,73,008 cases of traffic violations in 2023, as of May.
- Here’s a piece about the rise of women bikers.
- Pedestrians are in the spotlight after a person almost causes an accident.
- The BBMP has delayed illegal structure demolitions.
That’s it for today. Have a great day!