Knight Frank proposes additional 600 km of stormwater drains be built in Bengaluru to avoid flooding
Bengaluru (PTI): Property consultancy firm Knight Frank on Wednesday published a report recommending an additional length of more than 600 kilometres of storm water drain (SWD) infrastructure to avoid recurrent flooding in Bengaluru.
The international property consultancy firm also noted that the government should invest Rs 2,800 crore on remodelling and expansion of SWD infrastructure.
In its report titled 'Bengaluru Urban Flood', Knight Frank underscored that as Bengaluru is one of the key engines of the country's economic growth, real estate development will continue to expand to accommodate the city's growth.
For long-term sustenance, there needs to be greater emphasis on the cohesive development of real estate and strengthening of supporting infrastructure without causing further damage to the ecosystem of Bengaluru, the consultancy firm said.
To avoid recurring instances of urban flooding, the governing bodies need to rejuvenate and remodel the city's SWD infrastructure, the report mentioned.
In September last year, torrential downpour led to several parts of Bengaluru reeling with flooded roads and several residential localities along with IT companies remaining inundated for days.
"Currently, Bengaluru has 842 km of primary and secondary drains. To complement the spatial expansion, the city broadly requires an addition of approximately 658 km of primary and secondary drains adding up to a total length of 1,500 km," the firm said.
"As per Knight Frank estimates, the capex requirement for construction of new drains in addition to rejuvenation of existing drains is estimated to be Rs 2,800 crore," it added.
The Karnataka government in its 2023-24 state budget announced an allocation of Rs 3,000 crore for developing stormwater drain infrastructure in the city with assistance from the World Bank, which according to Knight Frank is in line with its estimates.
The consultancy firm said the share of the built-up area of Bengaluru owing to burgeoning population growth has increased from 37.4 per cent in 2002 to 93.3 per cent in 2020.
As a result of rapid and unplanned development, the infrastructure supporting the natural ecosystem of Bengaluru, especially the SWD system has come under severe stress, it noted.
"The interconnection between the water bodies such as lakes and stormwater drains have been severely affected causing recurrent floods in the event of heavy rainfall," Knight Frank said.
The firm has recommended in its report that Bengaluru can adopt nature-based solutions such as 'sponge city' developments as a measure to resolve urban flooding. "Sponge city is a new urban construction model for flood management being implemented in China, aimed at strengthening ecological infrastructure and drainage systems," the report further said.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
