[KA18]

This is truly tragic and resulted in loss of an innocent life.

Trying to imagine what made the driver to drive through it.
Even if he wanted to, was there enough space to maneuver and turn back?

If there were other vehicles behind, they would have continuously honked, prodding him to move forward.

Whatever may be the reason, his judgement failed.

People who dump garbage everywhere and the civic authorities who don't cleanup or have improperly designed structures are to blame..

[GTO]

Just another thought = it's a Xylo cab and news articles are claiming there were 7 people in the car. I have a feeling she was the unlucky one in the last / 3rd row, from where it could be the most difficult to get out in such a situation.

[bobbyblr]

Originally Posted by GTO

Just another thought = it's a Xylo cab and news articles are claiming there were 7 people in the car. I have a feeling she was the unlucky one in the last / 3rd row, from where it could be the most difficult to get out in such a situation.

Hi GTO,

You are right. The unlucky lady was seated in the last row of the Xylo according to The Hindu news article.

It was later learnt from the Fire and Emergency Services and the police officials that while Mr. Harisha and other passengers could get out after opening one door, Ms. Bhanurekha could not come out as she was sitting in the rear. For her to get out, the middle seat had to be folded, and by the time they could pull her out, it was too late.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities...le66878104.ece

[Jangra]

Something to be said about the overall infrastructure of the most unplanned city with the highest paying jobs and once was called California of India.
There is no logic of these underpasses where drainage is an afterthought. Excuses like - Rains were unexpected at this time of the year is as lame as it can get. Yes! The cab driver is to be blamed for his stupid act that caused a life, but the entire infrastructure planning of the ever growing city is now out of control.

[fhdowntheline]

The rest of the people got out and only the girl couldnt ? Somehow this doesnt sound right. The car doesnt appear not fully submerged. In that state, couldnt they have dragged her out enough to at least gasp for air ?
As to the pathetic civic state of our cities, I cant go much further without violating the forum guidelines. For a nation that tom toms its top 5 GDP status and serenades the G20 delegates all over, having to deal with basic road infra/electricity issues still, is a major reality check.

[Thermodynamics]

What I heard is, vehicles were crossing the underpass one by one without stopping. This Xylo was following an Auto rickshaw when the Auto driver stopped abruptly afraid of depth. Xylo driver did not have choice but to brake and water level rose rapidly.

Originally Posted by GTO

3rd row, from where it could be the most difficult to get out in such a situation.

Valid point, never thought third row can be a safety risk.

[vvbkumar]

Originally Posted by GTO

Just another thought = it's a Xylo cab and news articles are claiming there were 7 people in the car. I have a feeling she was the unlucky one in the last / 3rd row, from where it could be the most difficult to get out in such a situation.

Very Unfortunate. Similar to airplane evacuation standards, I think there should be regulations in terms of max time taken for egress of all passengers in case of scenarios like waterlogging, fire etc. Just a wishful thought.

[chandrda]

This underpass is hardly a KM from my office and I pass through KR circle everyday while returning from office, though I don't take the underpass. But I am aware that this particular underpass floods and also police puts up barricade to stop motorist going through the underpass when its raining.

We all know the apathy of the civic authorities, but this incident was a tragedy and many bad luck culminating.

1. The barricade had fallen and had got submerged in the water, so was not visible.
2. Xylo driver was not aware that this particular underpass floods during rain
3. There were couple of Autos which proceeded toward the underpass and the Xylo driver decided to follow them
4. There are 2 counts why the Xylo driver got stuck -

• A - The auto driver suddenly stopped after realizing the water is much deeper, there fore forcing the Xylo driver to stop
• B - The Xylo driver was speeding a bit when he hit the water.

I am not sure which is true in this case, may be both or none.

5. Once the Xylo got stuck in the water, all electrical dies and the doors wouldn't open. Also the water level raised rapidly.
6. The driver, a TV reporter, public and quick response team tried their best to saves all lives.
7. Unfortunately the girl was on the last row (as reported) and couldn't be saved in time

Regards

[shancz]

Very unfortunate loss of life and the infuriating part, as with most other cases, is that the tragedy was a direct result of the callous and irresponsible act of the driver of the vehicle.

Multiple suggestions can be given about what to do but its only the simple ones that are remembered and that is to never go where you can't see.
But our "rules are for idiots", "I know better" and social media glorifying acts of stupidity being some of the contributing factors. None of these require any training.

The article mentioned in post #18 by bobbyblr mentions that the doors locked(I am assuming were locked at the time of stall) but opened after a minute when tried. Currently this has a lot of variables and not a good time for the occupants to exactly recall the lock status so not considering this as a fact but only for guidance.

Some questions :
1. If the vehicle stalls in water with the central locking unlocked and then the ignition switched off, will the locking system be able to re-engage the locking mechanism?

2. If the central locking is unlocked but the ignition is on in an attempt to restart the car and then it loses all power, will the locks be able to re-engage?

3. How does question asked above work with cars with keyless entry? Will it be any different?

[PreludeSH]

Originally Posted by Jangra

Something to be said about the overall infrastructure of the most unplanned city with the highest paying jobs and once was called California of India.
There is no logic of these underpasses where drainage is an afterthought. Excuses like - Rains were unexpected at this time of the year is as lame as it can get. Yes! The cab driver is to be blamed for his stupid act that caused a life, but the entire infrastructure planning of the ever growing city is now out of control.

Rains are not unexpected. It starts raining end of March or early April (rains start with Ugadi, yes, nature's clockwork) and these pre monsoon showers are usually heaviest with high winds etc. resulting in fallen trees, lake overflows and all.

As I said before if all that govts have do is pay compensation from public money and seem they have responded, where is the accountability ?

[karanddd]

Roads and infrastructure cannot be designed with the assumption that every person is a highly cautious driver all the time. That is not possible. An underpass that floods is simply not acceptable in any modern city. Either you build proper drainage, or shut the underpass. The fact that it regularly overfloods and the only thing done about that is the putting of barricades is absurd. If a part of our house flooded regularly, we would try to fix it, not put a barricade in front of it and forget about it.

[Raghu M]

The incident is truly tragic. I just hope Hyd doesn't turn into a Bengaluru soon. Looking at the way companies are setting shop here, that could soon be a reality I guess. I think the governments should start spreading out companies and SEZs. While there are hardly any options for Hyd, Bengalure has Mysore not very far. I think the administration should start thinking on those lines and expand out of the city. These incidents will continue to happen, the only solution is to decongest these cities. That is the only viable solution to this menace.

[anandhsub]

For all its faults, the Outer Ring Road in BLR at least has quite an active police force and along with volunteers they make sure that all water logged roads are quickly blocked. They also ensure pumpsets are available to quickly drain out water from underpasses.

Even last year during the massive flooding while there were several cases of cars getting drowned inside basements there were very few cases ( although including mine unfortunately) of cars getting stuck on the road.

I am shocked an underpass right in the heart of the city where the water level was rising was left unattended and the car driver was left to take his own decision.

[AutoNoob]

Originally Posted by PreludeSH

Someone needs to blast the underpasses. Why cant they spend little more money and build flyovers? Whatever drainage system they design, it will not help heavy rains. The current systems are gravity based and it sometimes has to drain a long way away.

Originally Posted by ghodlur

some serious inefficiency of the municipal authorities... Sewage and roads have been always the biggest spending areas for any municipal corporation and both fail miserably is providing the services to the tax payers.

Whenever I read news of flooded metros, my thought is drawn to the storm water drain systems that are planned and built in some major cities of the world. e.g. LA Storm drain system, London sewerage system or the upcoming Thames Tideway Tunnel. They have one thing in common: Civic authorities anticipated the needs of growing cities, planned and constructed solutions that are future proof for many decades.

I am no way saying that those are perfect solutions and surely have fair share of issues/ controversies. Yet, the common thread is proactive foresight and action, not reactive countermeasures. This is where our authorities usually fail, particularly when it comes to drainage systems in cities.

Seeking liberty to go bit off-topic, I am sharing one example below :

The Thames Tideway Tunnel
Source: https://www.tideway.london/the-tunnel/the-story/

Built between 1859 and 1875, Sir Joseph Bazalgette's original London sewerage system was designed to capture both rainwater runoff and the sewage produced by 4M (million) people.

London's population trend: year 1860 - 2M, 1920 - 4M, 2019 - 8.8M, 2160 - 16M (estimated).

Instigated in 2001, the Thames Tideway Strategic Study, conducted by a group comprising Thames Water, the Environment Agency, DEFRA and the Greater London Authority, was intended to assess the impact of the combined sewer overflows (CSO) discharges into the Thames and to identify objectives and propose potential solutions, while keeping costs and benefits in mind.

Tideway is upgrading London’s sewer system to cope with its growing population. The tunnel, 25km long and 7.2m in dia, will be completed in 2025. It will intercept, store and ultimately transfer sewage waste away from the River Thames. The Thames Tideway Tunnel will protect the river for at least the next 100 years.

Planned timeline:
2014: Planning decisions and approval
2015: Main works and financing contracts awarded
2016: Primary work completed; Main works preliminary construction begins
2018: Tunnelling begins
2019: Secondary lining begins
2022: Tunnelling ends
2024: All works completed (now scheduled for 2025)

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

underpasses worldwide are known to flood during heavy downpours... there's no dearth of mindless people who would drive / ride / walk into them and get stuck, and a death or two due to drowning is common every year.

That does not mean underpasses are a road safety risk all year round; they serve to ease traffic flow where building an alternate or wider road, or a flyover, are technically impossible or not feasible / cost-effective. So we need to learn to live with the limitations of underpasses, and not dive headlong into the ones that are waterlogged during a storm.

Totally agree.

Once I drove through a low lying area just after a heavy downpour. Mis-judged the gradient and water hammer effect resulted in water almost coming upto grill. Luckily the vehicle didn't stall. Since then I have decided not to drive where I am not sure of water depth.

[girishv]

Originally Posted by GTO

Just another thought = it's a Xylo cab and news articles are claiming there were 7 people in the car. I have a feeling she was the unlucky one in the last / 3rd row, from where it could be the most difficult to get out in such a situation.

No, she was one of the first to come out and she was even on the safety duck float (is it what it is called?). But, she had already drank water and slid off it after few seconds and the one who was trying to rescue could not pull her out on time.

Her brother has given a statement that they asked the driver to take the safe route just next to it which has a maximum waiting of 30 s for signal.

Though it's a tragedy, a disaster was avoided due to unsung heroes. A lady who gave her saree to be tied to pull the people out and a journalist bravely broke the glass and pulled out the occupants.

It is the road which I take almost everyday and whenever there is slight hint of rain, it will be barricaded and was the same yesterday too.

But on the fateful day, the rain and wind was so fierce, even the metal barricades fell down and hence the driver may have missed them. The said two autos were also got stuck in the water and the lady travelling in the auto climbed on the top of the auto and got rescued.

So, I blame the tragedy mostly on the driver.