The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Bengaluru, as heavy rain lashed through the IT capital over the past 72 hours. Several areas across Bengaluru were inundated forcing people to evacuate their homes in low-lying areas.
Several areas across the city especially around North and East Bengaluru saw water level reaching 2-5 ft and submerged roads due to the overflowing drains.
A Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike official told News 18 that several homes and offices around Yelahanka, Nayandahalli, Wilson Garden, Horamavu, Silk Board and Indiranagar areas were flooded.
“Several places in southern Karnataka, including areas such as Mysore, Bengaluru, Mandya, Kodagu, Hassan, Tumakuru, received very heavy rainfall. Bengaluru’s all-time high rain was 153.9 mm in 1909. As on Tuesday, Bengaluru got 114.6 mm rain,” said Geeta Agnihotri, MET director, Bengaluru.
The BBMP commissioner held an emergency meeting with civic officials to look into Bengaluru’s “flooding” problem.
Every monsoon, the IT city submerges after heavy rain. “Civil defence volunteers, police and fire personnel have been roped in to help people in need,” said the BBMP official, on condition of anonymity.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai visited several areas in Bengaluru to assess the situation. He issued strict instructions to find solutions and provide emergency services to the affected areas.
In some areas in Bengaluru, people were rescued from their homes with the help of boats.
“Bengaluru’s terrain is such that there are many low-lying areas. When it rains heavily the water flows downward. Houses have been built on Rajakaluves (storm water drains) and the water gets clogged with no exit point,” explained Bommai.
Bommai visited Hosakere Halli, the location his predecessor Yediyurappa had visited a year ago when rains lashed the city.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government claimed drains have been built in areas prone to flooding to help release water in the underground chambers.
In his recent budget, Bommai, who is also the Bengaluru development minister, has increased the budget outlay for the city from Rs 7,795 crore last year to Rs 8,409 crore this year, including money for infrastructure issues.
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