<b>Letters:</b> Poor infrastructure

With reference to "Flood fury" (August 1) rains are always a test of the quality of urban infrastructure. The country does not seem to draw any lessons from each instance of floods - be it in Kashmir, Chennai or even Uttarakhand. Gurgaon is seen as a "slum of the rich" - a town of the affluent but with poor infrastructure. Seventy per cent of its water needs are being met from below ground which has led to a sharp decline in the water table in the last 20 years, while only 40 per cent of the town has sewer lines. As for Bengaluru, a 1005 per cent increase in concretisation (paved surfaces) during 1973-2016 has resulted in an adverse impact on the garden city's wetlands, green spaces and groundwater levels. No wonder, both the cities sank.

One wonders when elementary sense will dawn on our cities to stop encroachment on spaces like catchment areas and wetlands that are meant to receive floodwaters and replenish groundwater. Drains have to be regularly de-silted and cleared of plastic so that they do not clog and cause the rainwater to stagnate on the roads, resulting in torturous gridlocks. Public would do well to make use of any GPS-based mobile apps launched by municipal corporations for easy redress of their grievances.

CV Krishna Manoj Hyderabad

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