After close to a week of heavy rain, there might be some respite, as the yellow alert issued for Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts for the past three days ended on Wednesday and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has not issued any fresh alert for the coming days.
Though IMD, Bengaluru, has predicted “few spells of light to moderate rains and thunderstorms” for the city on Thursday.
As per the evening data of the IMD, on Wednesday, Bengaluru received less than 20 mm of rain. The break-up of the rain data shows that till 5.30 pm, Bengaluru city recorded 20 mm of rain, while HAL airport and KIAL airport region received no rain.
While the rain in Bengaluru has come down, a red alert (extreme heavy rain) has been issued in Hassan and Kodagu districts on Wednesday. These districts will remain on orange alert (very heavy rain) for the next three days. Similarly, districts of coastal Karnataka — Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada — are expected to receive heavy rainfall till Saturday. North Karnataka’s Belagavi too has been put on orange alert, IMD said.
“There is low pressure forming in the Bay of Bengal and it could become depression in the coming days. The weather system is expected to affect the north interior Karnataka and we are closely monitoring the situation,” said a senior IMD official, who did not wish to be named.
{{/usCountry}}“There is low pressure forming in the Bay of Bengal and it could become depression in the coming days. The weather system is expected to affect the north interior Karnataka and we are closely monitoring the situation,” said a senior IMD official, who did not wish to be named.
{{/usCountry}}In another development, the Karnataka high court on Wednesday directed the city civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to immediately set up cells to address the grievances of citizens affected by the heavy rains and flood situation.
A division bench of acting chief justice Alok Aradhe and Justice S Vishwajith Shetty said, “For such purpose, the ward engineer in each ward shall be notified to deal with the grievance of residents of the ward.”
The court was also informed that a proposal is being prepared by the corporation to install sluice gates for all lakes in the city to regulate the overflow of water from the lakes during heavy rains and to prevent flooding. The bench has directed that the proposal shall be prepared by BBMP and shall be expeditiously submitted to the state government for approval.
The directions were given during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Bengaluru resident Vijayan Menon, highlighting the problem of the bad condition of roads in the city and overflowing water from drains. The PIL was filed in 2015 and hearing in the case is ongoing. The court also directed the civic body to set up a committee that will look into the issue of potholes on city roads and file a report.
On Wednesday, as a part of the remedial programmes to prevent floods, BBMP also demolished a portion of Divyasree apartment in Yamlur to clear the storm water drain in the are.
Even though rains have stopped, several parts of Bengaluru, especially in southeast Bengaluru remain under water. Meena Girisaballa, founder and CEO of Purple Front Technologies shared a video on social media, urging BBMP to help in the rescue of residents stranded in waterlogged houses. “The ground floor of our house is flooded. We have to take tractors to come out. In some houses, even tractors can’t reach and boats are required. We need your help,” she said.
As the aftermath of the rain caused major waterlogging in several areas of Bengaluru, the traffic police on Wednesday issued an advisory to the city’s residents regarding flooding and overflowing. The traffic police issued an advisory regarding the areas which have been cleared for traffic movement. However, it is also advised that people should not leave their homes unless necessary.
As the ORR stretch in the city, where most of the IT companies are located, suffered severely from waterlogging, chief minister Basavaraj Bommai announced that he will meet the IT representatives and hear their grievances. On Wednesday, chief minister Basavaraj Bommai told reporters “The IT industry has suffered a lot due to these unprecedented rains. I am going to meet their representatives soon and assure them of the immediate bounce back.”
He said,“I will also explain how much the government is spending to fix all civic issues in the ORR region. Our government will instil complete confidence in all IT companies in the capital city. Bengaluru will remain as an IT hub and we all will face such natural hazards together.”
Earlier, the Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA) had written a letter to the CM claiming that the IT companies have collectively lost â‚ą255 crore when the employees were stuck in traffic for five hours a day last week.
Bommai visited the submerged areas of east Bengaluru on Tuesday night and instructed the officials to be available to the public.
“The BBMP has been working relentlessly on the ground and I appreciate their efforts. Very soon, our government is going to take action against encroachments without any mercy. I am also going to meet builders and make sure everyone follows the National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders,” added the chief minister.