Torrential rainfall triggers massive floods in Bengaluru; IMD says more to come

The India Meteorological Department on Tuesday issued an Orange alert for urban and rural districts of Bengaluru, predicting heavy rainfall for the next 4-5 days

BENGALURU: At least two people were killed, while several others were left scrambling for shelter as heavy rainfall battered large parts of Bengaluru. Three workers were stuck in a flooded pipeline in Ullal Upanagara, and only one person managed to escape.

Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai (under the umbrella) visits Bengaluru’s flood hit areas. (HT Photo)

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday issued an Orange alert for urban and rural districts of Bengaluru, predicting heavy rainfall for the next 4-5 days.

Several parts of India’s IT capital were left inundated after Tuesday night’s unprecedented rainfall that continued till early hours on Wednesday, damaging property and leaving the 12 million-odd residents of the city in a state of despair.

Nearly 3-4 feet of water in localities such as Nayandahalli, Wilson Garden, Silk Board, Cambridge layout, among other places, left people and vehicles wading to safety.

“There are many low-lying areas in Bengaluru. The geographical terrain is such that after one point, when it rains more, everything will come downward. They have built homes next to Raja Kaluve (storm water drains) and there is a situation in which water has nowhere else to go,” chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said after visiting Hosakere Halli.

Incidentally, his predecessor BS Yediyurappa visited this locality around the same time last year when it was flooded. He had then announced that he would get it fixed, and spent several crores to create drainage infrastructure which has had no impact on the woes.

“In Hosakere Halli, Yediyurappa had visited and it was full of water. Drains were constructed. It has happened across Bengaluru and we have to fix all SWDs in a way that takes the water away from these localities. In several places, the SWDs hit a dead end. We have undertaken more work to remove all bottlenecks and ₹1,600 crore set aside for it. Despite this, some low-lying areas are still affected. Many people have built homes near lakes, so there are consequencies,” the chief minister added.

He further said that work to complete over half of the estimated SWD drains network of 800 kms is yet to be undertaken.

According to the IMD, Bengaluru city received 114.6 mm of rainfall, while the international airport area received 65.6 mm. Localities around the HAL airport area received 86.4 mm rainfall.

“Generally cloudy sky. Few spells of rain and thundershowers, heavy at times very likely. Maximum and minimum temperatures very likely to be around 28 and 20 degrees Celsius, respectively,” the forecast for the next 24 hours stated.

Areas such as Horamavu received around 155 mm of rains, adding to the plight of residents who barely have proper roads or any kind of civic infrastructure.