North & East done, rain now turns to CBD & South

Bengaluru: Torrential rains caused havoc in central and southern parts of the city on Wednesday after days of pouring misery on northern and eastern Bengaluru. 

Parts of Jayanagar, JP Nagar and Banashankari witnessed a hailstorm, while evening rains hit BTM Layout, Koramangala, Bommanahalli, and Electronics City. In the CBD, strong winds gave way to a downpour, emptying the busy streets. 

Severe flooding and traffic disruptions were reported along BTM Main Road, Hosur Road, Richmond Road and Maruti Nagar, where water levels reached two to three feet, making travel difficult for both vehicles and pedestrians. 

"It took me 40 minutes to get from the Madiwala signal to SG Palya. Traffic is usually bad on Hosur Road in the evenings, but the rain makes it unbearable,” said Kaustav, an office-goer. 

Homes located in the narrow lanes of Neelasandra and Lakkasandra were flooded, which residents described as "nothing new". 

In Richmond Town, 10 two-wheelers were submerged due to heavy waterlogging. Nearby, a large tree was uprooted on Kadidal Manjappa Road, bringing traffic to a standstill.

At least 20 trees were uprooted across the city: eight in the South, five in Yelahanka, three in the East, and two each in West and Mahadevapura zones. Another 33 trees had branches snap off and fall, according to a BBMP official. 

The rains, which began around 4 pm, left many commuters struggling to find autos, with ride-hailing firms resorting to surge pricing. Many had to wait for nearly an hour to get autos. 

Anindita, who works at a private company in Koramangala, said: “I couldn’t find a ride through any app and had to hail an auto on the street. I paid Rs 400 for just a few kilometres." 

A stormwater drain in Roopena Agrahara overflowed, leaving at least four feet of water and severely impacting traffic towards the city, a senior police officer said. 

Jammed roads 

Traffic police managed to clear waterlogged roads within two hours, restoring normal traffic. 

Slow-moving traffic was also reported on MG Road, Magrath Road, CQAL Road (towards Mehkri Circle), Dairy Circle, Sarakki Main Road, Bommanahalli Junction, National College, Richmond Road and Dollars Colony, JP Nagar.

Water levels recede 

Ugrappa, a resident of Kendriya Vihar, said water had receded by about a foot in the residential colony, and the NDRF had deployed an inflatable boat to help residents. 

The apartment community group advised residents to tow away their vehicles, while many returned to their homes to pick up essentials. 

'Shocked & shaken' 

In Tata Nagar, residents finally breathed a sigh of relief as rains subsided on Tuesday night. By Wednesday, they were seen clearing stagnant water and silt from homes and shops. 

Sumith GH, a volunteer helping the residents, said that the rain stopped around 6 pm on Tuesday while the waterlogging receded by Wednesday morning, allowing people to move around. 

However, many residents remained shaken by the flooding. 

“The furniture in nearly every home has been destroyed by stagnant water. Though we’ve cleared the water, the silt remains a problem,” Sumith added. “This area is largely populated by senior citizens, and the past two days have been particularly hard on them.”

He added that BBMP officials visited the area on Wednesday and distributed relief fund applications. 

Manjula Mahantesh Hospet, who has run an Ilkal saree store in Tata Nagar for 12 years, said she had incurred losses of Rs 20 lakh due to the flooding. 

"I invested a large sum of money in this business to promote handloom sarees, and now I don’t know what to do,” she said, adding the BBMP is yet to respond to her application for relief.