Unprecedented heavy downpour on Sunday night — the third highest single day rainfall the city has ever recorded — brought Bengaluru to its knees as roads were inundated, rainwater entered homes, flights were diverted, buses and other vehicles broke down, schools were shut and boats were pressed into service.
While the downpour was more widespread, affecting more than just the low-lying areas, civic authorities said that the monsoon rain received this year is the second highest rainfall in the city since 1971.
IMD officials said Bengaluru received a record amount of 131.6 mm rainfall on Sunday, making it the third highest single day rainfall the city has ever recorded. Previously, 18 cm rainfall was recorded in one day in 1988 and 132.3 mm rainfall was recorded in 2014.
Even tech parks located in various parts of the city were flooded, including Manyata Tech Park in Hebbal, Eco Space in Bellandur and Prestige Tech Park in Marathahalli. Rainwater entered Wipro’s office in Sarjapur area, entirely flooding the campus after the lake nearby overflowed. Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA) has instructed tech and bank workers employed by various enterprises in the Outer Ring Road (ORR) area to work from home for the whole of this week.
Bellandur lake, Hallenayakanahalli, Varthur lakes breached their boundaries again on Monday. Many major roads in the city were inundated, including Mysuru Road, Bannerghatta Road, BTM Layout, JP Nagar, Indiranagar, Balagere road, Sarjapura, Malleswaram, CBD roads, Mekhri Circle, and Koramangala, according to the traffic police.
As many as 24 fire tenders, 200 fire and emergency personnel and 10 boats have been pressed into service since Sunday night for rescue operations in south east and Whitefield divisions. The rescue teams have been given the task of dewatering the areas and roads to bring normalcy.
Inclement weather conditions at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) disrupted several flight services. Six flights, including two international ones, heading to Bengaluru from various destinations were diverted to Chennai Airport. The airport received 109 mm of rainfall between 11.30 p.m and 4.00 a.m on Monday.
The inundation of the city also impacted city bus services operated on Outer Ring Road (ORR). Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) officials said buses took hours to reach their destinations and fewer trips were covered. Inundation of Carmelaram Railway Station and stagnation of water at the level crossing resulted in delayed operations of four trains between Bengaluru-Salem sections.
Overflowing of the Bheemeshwara river in Torekadanahalli (TK Halli) in Mandya district affected the drinking water supply to Bengaluru for two days as two pumping stations in the region, from where Cauvery water is pumped out, were inundated. The pumps are expected to be fully functional again by Wednesday. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) said that more than 50 areas, including Malleshwaram, Seshadripuram, Indiranagar, Sadashiva Nagar and Kengeri, will not get drinking water for two days (Monday and Tuesday).
Heavy rain also forced many schools and colleges to declare holiday on Monday as the roads leading to some schools were waterlogged and there was no way for students and staff to reach the schools. A few of these schools have even shifted to online classes for the next one week, considering the weather forecast predicting heavy rains for the next few days.
A destitute 40-year-old man, identified as Ramaswamy, was found dead on Commercial Street during heavy rains on Sunday night. A police officer said the deceased was found dead near an electric transformer.
The heavy downpour on Sunday night also led to much damage to the city’s power infrastructure, causing power interruptions, especially in the areas near the Outer Ring Road. According to the reports from Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom), a power station from Kadubeesanahalli had been shut down due to waterlogging, while a couple of transformers at other places were also affected. Around 15 electrical poles broke down as trees fell down on them.
