Rain, hail and flash floods in many parts of Bengaluru

A portion of Hudson Road, central Bengaluru, caved in following the rain. Credit: DH Photo/SK Dinesh

Scores of houses were flooded and hundreds of vehicles damaged after rainwater entered the basement of many apartment complexes and buildings at Pramod Layout in Nayandahalli, West Bengaluru, on Friday evening.

The downpour, accompanied by a hailstorm, lashed many parts of city for nearly two hours, flooding major roads and underpasses and giving anxious moments to residents of low-lying areas.

At Pramod Layout, which is situated near the Vrishabhavathi valley, apartment cellars had at least three feet of water while brackish water entered many independent houses.

At the Vijinapura slum in KR Puram, residents were seen draining rainwater out of their houses. In many cases, the floodwater had brought garbage along with it, making the draining all the more difficult. Many residents complained that municipal authorities had done little to stop the perennial flooding despite their repeated complaints.

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The overcast conditions of Thursday continued on Friday afternoon as the sky turned cloudy several times. The first drops of rain arrived around 6 pm, and the downpour didn't stop until 8 pm.

Malleswaram, Jaynagar, Basavanagudi, Chickpet, Rajajinagar, Vijayanagar, Mahalakshmi Layout, Yeshwantpur, Jalahalli, Kengeri, Peenya and other areas reported heavy rainfall. In many areas, stormwater drains filled with garbage overflowed, flooding the roads.

Waterlogging was reported at underpasses near Mehkri Circle, Cauveri Theatre junction, Sivananda Circle, Anand Rao Circle and Okalipuram. Motorcyclists riding back home had to take shelter at bus stops, metro stations and other places.

"We have received complaints about inundated underbridges and flooded roads. Tree branches have blocked roads at some places. We are carrying out cleaning operations," said a staffer at the BBMP control room.

Traffic was disrupted in and around KR Market, Majestic, Yeshwantpur and other areas.

According to an official in the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), Dayananda Nagar in Rajajinagar received the highest rainfall (106.5 mm) until 10.30 pm, followed by CK Achukattu (86 mm), Maruti Mandira (65 mm), Rajmahal Guttahalli (63 mm), Indiranagar (55 mm) Cottonpet (57.5 mm), Agrahara Dasarahalli (51 mm), Attur Layout (40.5 mm) and VV Puram (44.5 mm).

Amid the rainfall, police started the preparations for the weekend curfew, which kicked in at 9 pm on Friday. They were seen erecting barricades and warning boards on several roads.