Heavy downpour of rain in B’luru

By Our Special Correspondent

The state capital Bengaluru witnessed unprecedented floods in some areas, which many termed as frightening on Sunday. Floods in parts of central East and South-East Bengaluru left people stranded, trapped in traffic gridlocks, houses and areas flooded and many damaged vehicles or forced to stay indoors.

The ordeal that began Sunday night extended into Monday morning, forcing many tech companies to ask their employees to return to work from home.

According to the Indian Metrological Department (IMD), the center of the city recorded 131.6 mm of rain, while south and southeast Bengaluru saw floods of no more than 65.5 mm, according to the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Management Center (KSNDMC) rainfall.

Further, 25 areas in these areas were hit by severe floods, with cars and autos inundated to their roofs on Sunday night and Monday morning, bringing traffic to a standstill and many two-wheeler riders having to endure the painful experience of pushing their vehicles inside. It is not known if the waist-deep water will be their next step in an open manhole.

Residents and travelers of Rainbow Drive Layout, Outer Ring Road, Bangalore, Nalluruhalli, Whitefield, Varthir-Annasandra Palayam, Lal Masjid, Devarachikkanahalli mandals of Mahadevpur mandal faced severe problems due to floods like never before.

As the ponds overflowed till 2 pm on Monday, the locals complained that the water levels were not decreasing. Major water bodies such as Bellandur and Vibhutipura were cut off and roads were flooded.

Snail traffic has been recorded in most parts of the ORR, especially those leading to Sarjapur, Bellandur, Whitefield and Marathahalli.