'Can’t sleep whenever it rains': Bengaluru residents live in fear of overflowing lakes

Bengaluru: Intense rain on Tuesday led to the overflow of more than 60 waterbodies in Bengaluru, flooding several low-lying areas, including parts of Halasuru, Horamavu and Nagawara.

Officials noted that most of these lakes are situated in the Mahadevapura and Yelahanka regions.

Within the BBMP limits, there are approximately 183 lakes. Some of those that overflowed include Gottigere, Subramanyapura, Iblur, Madiwala, Halasuru, Yelahanka, Sowl Kere, Vibhutipura, and Pattandur Agrahara.

Murphy Town, for instance, saw streets inundated with up to four feet of water as the rajakaluve connected to Ulsoor Lake overflowed, causing rainwater to back up into the area.

"I returned from work around 7 pm, but had to wait for two hours because the road to my house was completely flooded. This has happened over 20 times. We are unable to sleep every time it rains, fearing that water will rush into our house,” said Hariprasad, a resident of Murphy Town.

RB Kumar, a 62-year-old resident, slammed the BBMP for narrowing the rajakaluve, which he believes has exacerbated the flooding. “The construction work is incomplete, and water flows into residential areas every time it rains,” he said.