Sunday’s thunderstorm brought much-needed relief from the heat but it also proved to be a big hassle.
Dozens of houses were flooded in Uttarahalli, South Bengaluru, in what municipal authorities said was the backflow of water from a stormwater drain linked to Dorekere Lake.
BBMP officials initially presumed that the lake, which is filled with sewage and garbage, was breached. But a later inspection showed that missing links in the drain had caused the rainwater to backflow into nearby houses.
BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta and other senior officials visited the area late on Sunday night and promised to find a “permanent” solution to the problem of flooding on Monday.
Across the city, the rainfall uprooted nearly 200 electricity poles and at least a dozen trees, besides flooding many low-lying areas and railway underpasses, causing traffic jams and discomfiting weekend and festive shoppers.
BK Iyenger Road, a popular shopping hub in the Pete area, was flooded in the evening due to poor drainage. Ongoing roadworks only exacerbated the problem.
On the arterial Mysuru Road, vehicles had to navigate about two feet of rainwater.
Giant tree comes crashing down on bus
Tree falls were reported from BTM Layout (29th Main Road, 15th Main Road and 6th Cross, 2nd Stage), Hagadur Main Road, Whitefield, Vijayanagar and Kanakapura Road, said an official from the BBMP control room.
At Srirampura 5th Cross, near Jain Bhavan, six two-wheelers and two cars were trapped after a tree crashed on them. A giant tree got uprooted and fell on KG Road, the busy road that links central and western parts of the city, disrupting evening traffic in the whole Central Business District (CBD).
Parts of city in darkness
Many parts of the city plunged into darkness as the downpour brought down power supply infrastructure.
According to Bescom, 172 electricity poles were broken or uprooted while fallen trees damaged supply lines at 136 places.
Most of the damage in Bengaluru occurred in Chandapura and Hoskote divisions. In the Bescom jurisdiction, Ramanagar saw the most damage to electricity poles at 130 followed by Kolar (36).
At Jain Deemed-to-be-University, which is hosting the Khelo India sporting competition, electricity was interrupted multiple times before officials managed to restore it.
A senior official in Bescom said the utility agency had taken the necessary measures on a war footing to restore electricity and restored power in many parts of the city. Bescom staff are at work to repair the electricity infrastructure, the official added.
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