Due to drilling operations for the Bengaluru metro at Shivajinagar, a multi-storeyed house was left flooded with water and mud slurry. After the house was flooded, the residents had to be evacuated. Activist Nafeesa Khan had taken to Twitter on August 13 to flag the issue. Sharing pictures and videos of a waterlogged floor, activist Nafeesa Khan also tagged PC Mohan, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Bengaluru Central constituency, asking him to intervene.
According to reports, the reason for the flooding can be attributed to the metro work going on in the area. A report by The New Indian Express states that the incident occurred due to the pressure applied by the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) on the surrounding weak soil while drilling. The drilling work has been going on for the metro line between Kalena Agrahara and Nagawara.
The New Indian Express reports that the family whose home was flooded alerted workers at the drilling site about the incident and later, personnel from the contracting company, Larsen & Toubro, as well as officials from the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) arrived at the spot. Speaking to TNIE, one of the residents said that the officials helped them clean the street and helped to restore their home.
According to Deccan Herald, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) Chief Public Relations officer BL Yashavanth Chavan said that due to upward pressure on air pockets created by the tunnelling work below the building, the water and slurry had been pushed up.
Further, Chavan said that a proper investigation will be taken up once the drilling work around the building is completed, the Deccan Herald report stated. Chavan reportedly also offered a temporary housing arrangement for the residents, however, they turned him down to live at a relative’s home.