CAG flags major lapses in Bengaluru flood warning projects

Audit finds ₹2.3 crore flood modelling project stalled, sensors non-functional or stolen, and early warning objectives unmet under KSNDMC implementation.

Bengaluru’s flood preparedness initiatives implemented by the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) have come under sharp scrutiny, with the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) flagging serious lapses, wasteful expenditure, and ineffective use of public funds.

In its report on disaster management in Karnataka, tabled in the state legislature on Wednesday, the CAG examined projects aimed at developing an urban flood warning system and flood model for Bengaluru. The report noted that the central Department of Science and Technology had funded the preparation of the city’s flood model, with KSNDMC entrusted with execution at a total project cost of ₹2.3 crore.

As part of this initiative, 25 telemetric weather stations and four ultrasonic water level sensors were installed within Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits at a cost of ₹16.69 lakh. However, the audit observed that by December 2023, ₹1.61 crore, about 90 per cent of the expenditure, had been spent largely on salaries, while the flood forecast and alert model itself remained incomplete.

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The CAG pointed out that KSNDMC, despite being both the implementing and monitoring agency, did not have records of where the equipment was installed or any data generated from it. The absence of this critical information raised concerns about the purpose and outcome of the expenditure, with the report stating that the reasons for this failure need investigation.

Another major issue highlighted was the poor state of water level sensors installed to strengthen Bengaluru’s flood early warning system. In March 2021, KSNDMC launched a separate project costing ₹22.36 crore from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). This included installing 105 water level sensors, 100 on stormwater drains and five on flood-prone streets, at a cost of ₹1.03 crore.

Audit records showed that the work order was issued in July 2021 and installation was completed by January 2022, following which ₹20.98 crore was paid to the firm, including provisions for five years of annual maintenance. However, a verification conducted in December 2023 revealed that 49 out of 100 sensors on stormwater drains were non-functional. No data or information was available for the five sensors reportedly installed in flood-vulnerable streets.

The CAG stated that this failure defeated the very objective of strengthening the flood early warning system and rendered the expenditure from SDRF grants largely unproductive.

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In a surprising disclosure, KSNDMC informed auditors in December 2023 that some sensors had been removed by BBMP due to the absence of watch and ward arrangements, while a few others were stolen from stormwater drains.

The audit further criticised KSNDMC for negligence in project execution, poor maintenance of installed equipment, and failure to obtain the data envisaged from these systems. As a result, the report concluded, the broader goal of improved disaster management and flood risk reduction remained unfulfilled, leaving the state’s population vulnerable to flooding year after year without a comprehensive forecast and alert mechanism.