The recent flooding of parts of Bengaluru, particularly the IT corridor, triggered an expected blame game between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress as to who “wrecked” Bengaluru. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai termed the encroachments of lakes, wetlands and storm water drains (SWDs) connecting lakes a “legacy” that his government inherited.
Looking back at how things have turned out since the 1990s, all parties that have been in power — the Congress for 13 years, the BJP, and various avatars of the Janata Dal for 10 years — will have to share the blame for the present state of affairs. Since the mid-1990s, which saw quick development of the IT corridor, this part of the city has been hit by floods many times. The Bellandur lake has spewed froth and foam and even been on fire, due to unbridled development and severe disruption of water ecology.
The IT corridor and its adjoining areas stretch from east Bengaluru along the Outer Ring Road to south-east Bengaluru. These areas were the worst-hit parts of the city by floods even before 2022. The location of Electronic City, established in 1978 to the south-east of the city, has played a key role in the spatial direction of the burgeoning IT corridor in the mid-1990s.
