Heavy, constant downpour over the past three days has left Bengaluru paralysed. The flooding has thrown public life into disarray and ruling and opposition parties are trading barbs over the handling of the flood situation in India’s Silicon Valley.
Topping the list was the major tragedy in North Bengaluru’s Babusapalya where an under-construction building collapsed, leading to 21 labourers being trapped under the debris. At least 14 persons have been rescued, of which seven are seriously injured and have been admitted to the nearest hospital, said Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar who visited the building collapse site late on Tuesday night.
One person, Armaan, lost his life, and seven were reported missing by the rescue personnel on the ground, said the police officials.
CCTV footage shows how the building slowly tilted and fell over due to the weak construction. Prime facie reports indicate that the lashing rains and water inundation could have caused the structure to weaken from the ground, causing the mishap.
Shivakumar who is also the Bengaluru development minister flew down from Mysuru to assess the situation at the building collapse site. He was accompanied by Karnataka labour minister Santosh Lad and the BBMP commisioner Tushar Girinath among other officials.
He said that the building was an illegal one that was built on a 60×40 land site and despite three notices from the BBMP authorities, the builder did not pay heed and continued to construct.
“It’s not just issuing a notice, action also must be taken. This is a lesson for us all. After the rescue ops, I will seek details of all buildings that have come up without permission or have violated specifications, we will take legal action against them,” he said addressing the media.
He added that a survey will be conducted by the government to track down such illegal constructions or those violating norms and will also instruct the revenue department not to issue them registration documents.
“It will be our drive to stop such illegal constructions, ensure that without a proper plan the property is not registered. People, with their hard earned money, try to buy such low cost housing as their homes and we must ensure that buildings are safe and prevent such illegalities. RERA has been brought into force for this very reason,” he said.
Bengaluru faces fourth-heaviest rainfall in history
The Karnataka government, while issuing an advisory asking people to remain safe, also spoke of how Bengaluru received 245 mm of rainfall in just one month, which is the fourth-highest rainfall in the city’s history.
“Yelahanka, Mahadevapura, and Dasarahalli received heavy rain in the past 72 hours. This has led to all the lakes in Bengaluru overflowing, and with the rajakaluves (stormwater drains) being overstressed, it has resulted in severe flooding in various areas of the city,” explained a note from the Chief Minister’s office.
Reacting to the situation, Shivakumar said that the government is “managing the situation.”
“You might have noticed in the media what is happening in Dubai and Delhi. There is pollution in Delhi and rains in Dubai, which is a drought-prone region. There is a similar situation in many parts of the country. We are managing the situation in Bengaluru. According to our assessment, in the the worst-hit areas of Yelahanka and Dasarahalli, the lake embankment has collapsed, leading to the severe flooding,” he explained.
Schools, IT companies shut
Bengaluru Urban DC G Jagadeesha issued a directive declaring a holiday for all schools on October 23 due to heavy rainfall across Bengaluru. However, colleges will continue to function, said the advisory.
IT/BT and private companies have also been advised to ask their employees to work from home due to the “potential bad weather.”
“To ensure employees’ safety, we recommend that the IT/BT/private companies in Bengaluru permit their employees to work from home on October 23,” said the advisory from the Karnataka Innovation & Technology Society (Department of Electronics, Information Technology, Biotechnology, and Science & Technology), Government of Karnataka.
Managing the situation: Government
Bengaluru, especially the northern part of the city, saw the rain wreak major havoc as nearly 6 feet of water caused massive inundation in apartment complexes for the second time in a row.
Boats have been deployed to provide relief material to the citizens stuck in these waterlogged areas, with constant surveillance to monitor the safety and needs of the stranded residents. Officials have been working round the clock to monitor and manage the flood-prone areas. Three zones of the BBMP — Yelahanka, Mahadevapura, and Dasarahalli — have been the worst affected.
Residents have been left stranded with knee-deep water outside their homes, as rescue boats were deployed to provide essential supplies like food and water to those affected.
According to data released by the Karnataka government, 1,079 houses were affected by floodwaters, nearly 30 houses are still seeing standing water, and 199 trees fell due to the impact of the rains.
The state government also stated that various quick response and rescue teams, including the NDRF, 30 members of the fire department, five teams from the fire and rescue department, six teams from the BBMP, and 16 boats have been deployed in the worst-affected areas.
Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, who visited the affected areas, was also seen overseeing relief operations.
“Due to a cloudburst, Doddabommasandra lake is overflowing after more than 17 years. As a result, layouts in low-lying areas in and around Vidyaranyapura are flooded. I am trying to expedite BBMP relief work,” he said adding that the state government and all the agencies are working 24×7 to keep Bengaluru and people safe.
Thirty JCBs have been engaged to dredge the blocked stormwater drains and ensure the drainage of excess water, while 2,500 residents from the highly affected Kendriya Vihar apartments in Yelahanka have been relocated to safer locations, said BBMP officials. This area has been inundated for the second time in a week.
Yellow alert for Bengaluru: Met
In view of the Indian Meteorological Department department issuing a yellow alert for Bengaluru and the prediction of two more days of continuous rain, the state government ordered schools to shut down for the second time in a week.
“The rains will continue for another two days, after which there will be no rain. We can even expect a dry spell. However, for the next 48 hours, Bengaluru will face moderate to heavy rain and thunderstorms in both Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts,” said an IMD Bengaluru official to News18. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has also issued an alert for heavy rainfall across South Interior and coastal Karnataka from October 23 to 26.
Worst affected areas of Bengaluru
Across the city, Bengaluru North saw the maximum rainfall, with areas such as Chowdeshwari recording 157 mm of rainfall, followed by Vidyaranyapura with 109 mm. Surrounding areas of Jakkur (98 mm), Kodigehalli (72.50 mm), and Horamavu (73 mm) also faced incessant rain, leading to severe waterlogging and traffic congestion.
Residents of Halasahalli protested and blocked roads against BBMP negligence, demanding that potholes be filled or it would become another death trap. They urged DK Shivakumar to fulfil his promise to fix all potholes, despite several remaining unaddressed.
The Kendriya Vihar apartment complex had submerged vehicles, with residents being rescued by SDRF boats and coracles. This complex was also previously home to former President APJ Abdul Kalam, and his relatives who continue to stay there were rescued and relocated to a safer zone by officials.
Traffic blocked, flights missed, lakes overflowing
The rains caused major traffic blockages on routes across northern Bengaluru. While many residents chose to remain indoors, the traffic disruption and heavy rains led to over 20 flights being either delayed, cancelled, or diverted to Chennai. Many passengers also complained of missing their flights due to heavy traffic congestion caused by waterlogging along the way.
The worst-affected areas due to the rains in the past 48 hours have been around Yelahanka, which falls on the route to Bengaluru’s Kempegowda airport.
BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) Chief Commissioner, Tushar Girinath, also visited the worst-affected areas to assess the damage and ensure essential services such as food, medicines, and basic amenities were being provided.
Speaking to the media, Girinath said that areas in the northern part of the city have experienced severe rains, leading to the overflowing of lakes.
“Even with good stormwater drains, the amount of rain these areas have received will lead to an overflow of drains. A total of 4,000 houses in 10 layouts of Yelahanka zone have been affected by the rains. The water levels increased slowly through the night and will come down at the same pace. We have made arrangements for the supply of food packets for residents around Doddabommasandra lake,” he said after his inspection.
He added that the inundation in Kendriya Vihar was upto six feet and a total of 16 boats have been arranged at Kendriya Vihar for the residents to be evacuated.
“We are making arrangements for 10 more boats for faster evacuation of residents,” he said.
Low pressure in Bay of Bengal, Bengaluru faces wrath
According to the MET officials, a “Low Pressure Area” over the Bay of Bengal has been brewing and is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm by October 23.
This “cyclonic disturbance” has been causing heavy rains with squally winds, and Karnataka is facing the effects of this.
In its latest bulletin, the IMD said: “A low pressure area is very likely to form over the east-central Bay of Bengal and adjoining north Andaman Sea during the next 24 hours. It is very likely to move west-north-westwards and intensify into a depression by October 22 morning and into a cyclonic storm by October 23 over east-central Bay of Bengal.”
Additionally, heavy rainfall is expected in Gujarat, Konkan and Goa, Madhya Maharashtra, Coastal and North Interior Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Rayalaseema, and Andhra Pradesh, it said.
Politics over poor governance
The BJP and JDS took the opportunity to point out the failure of governance by the Congress government, sarcastically calling Siddaramaiah’s rule “visionary governance.” The Opposition also mocked its handling of the city’s infrastructure, claiming it has transformed into a “mini Venice.”
Critiquing what “Brand Bengaluru” had become, they also jibed at the Congress, suggesting that during the next term, they could invest in boats instead of roads. Accusing the civic authorities of turning the city’s roads into death traps, the JDS also tweeted an undated video of a physically challenged woman falling inside a water-filled pothole near Halasahalli. “Bravo on setting new standards of neglect and irresponsibility,” the JDS tweeted.
Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka, who is also a city MLA, visited the rain-affected places along with party legislators Dr C N Ashwath Narayan and Satish Reddy. He urged the Siddaramaiah government to immediately release Rs 5,000 crore to tackle the rain havoc damages and another Rs 1,000 crore for relief operations. He also called for all the clogged drains and canals to be desilted to prevent flooding.
Criticising Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who is also the Bengaluru Development Minister, Ashoka asked him to give a report to the people on the measures taken by the government on the extent of desilting and clearing of the drains and canals over the last 16 months.
“Shivakumar, who has been harping on Brand Bengaluru, has neglected the basic needs of the city,” Ashoka said.
BJP leader and former minister CT Ravi added, “Earlier, Bengaluru used to have thousands of ponds. Who looted all of them? Who earned money through that? Bengaluru, despite being an international city, is in such a condition. Who is responsible,” he tweeted.
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