Projects implemented by the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) for developing a flood warning system and a flood model for Bengaluru have come under the scanner, with the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) flagging wasteful expenditure made while preparing the model and highlighting that several water level sensors were either non-functional or stolen.
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A CAG report on disaster management in Karnataka, tabled in the legislature on Wednesday, noted that the central Department of Science and Technology had funded the work on preparing the urban flood model for Bengaluru. The KSNDMC was entrusted with the implementation of the project with a total outlay of Rs 2.3 crore.
The work included the installation of 25 telemetric weather stations and four ultrasonic water level sensors in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits at a cost of Rs 16.69 lakh. As of December 2023, the audit observed that Rs 1.61 crore had been incurred (90 per cent of the expenditure towards salaries) on the project.
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“Audit observed that KSNDMC, despite being the implementing and monitoring agency, did not possess either the details of the location of installation of equipment or the data obtained through the equipment since installation. Thus, while Rs 1.61 crore has been expended on salaries, the preparation of the flood forecast alert model is absent. The reasons for this lapse are to be investigated,” the report said.
Another lapse highlighted was the non-functional water level sensors installed on stormwater drains in Bengaluru. In March 2021, the KSNDMC took up the project. “Strengthening the flood early warning system of BBMP through installing water level sensors (WLS)” with an outlay of 22.36 crore out of the state disaster response fund (SDRF) grants. The project included the installation of 105 water level sensors (100 on stormwater drains and five in flood-vulnerable streets) at different locations at a cost of Rs 1.03 crore.
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“Audit scrutiny of records showed that the work order was issued during July 2021 and the firm completed (January 2022) the installation and was paid Rs 20.98 crore (annual maintenance charges to be paid accordingly for five years). Audit verification (December 2023) revealed that 49 out of 100 WLS installed on stormwater drains were non-functional and no information/data was available in respect of five WLS reportedly installed at flood-vulnerable streets. This affected the objective of strengthening the flood early warning system besides rendering the expenditure (incurred out of SDRF grants) on non-functional WLS unfruitful,” the report noted.
Water level sensors stolen from drains: BBMP
Surprisingly, KSNDMC stated in December 2023 that in the absence of watch and ward, some of the installed water level sensors were removed by the BBMP and that a few were stolen.
The CAG also highlighted the KSNDMC authorities’ negligence in the “execution of projects, maintenance of equipment installed, and non-obtaining envisaged data from this equipment”.
“The objective of better disaster management and disaster risk reduction stood affected on this account. Resultantly, the population of the State continued to suffer year after year without a comprehensive forecast alert mechanism against flooding,” the report added.