Rains trigger flooding in low-lying areas of Bengaluru East, North

Bengaluru: Continuous rain from the early hours of Tuesday flooded several areas in East and North Bengaluru, with water gushing into homes in low-lying areas.

Hennur Road, Sarjapur Road, Panathur railway underpass and Manyata Tech Park were among the worst-hit areas, which caused major traffic congestion and forced residents to navigate hazardous conditions.

Speaking to DH, residents across the city blamed the authorities for poor stormwater drain maintenance and the encroachment of rajakaluves (primary stormwater drains), which they said caused the flooding.

Localities like Murphy Town in Ulsoor were inundated.

Nadhan, a resident, became emotional while describing the dire situation. “Even a 10-minute rain floods our houses. My elderly mother is too scared to sleep at night when it rains. We are helpless.”

L Rozario, another resident, added that although various government officials have visited and surveyed the area, no action has been taken for years. “The floodwater is mixed with sewage. Our fridge, washing machine, documents, clothes, and children's notebooks have all been damaged.”

Hennur Road, a critical route to the airport, saw knee-deep water.

Suresh, a resident of Byrathi in Blessing Garden Layout, reported that around a dozen homes were flooded. “Both the rajakaluve and roadside drains are choked. Authorities have not cleared the blockages for three years, despite our numerous complaints,” he said.

Commuters also reported that auto-rickshaws and cabs were unavailable on ride-hailing apps due to the heavy rains.

Students rescued by JCB after buses get stuck

In Balagere, three school buses entered a barricaded road and got stuck, police said.

Kuldeep Kumar Jain, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic, East) said that while the police had barricaded the T-junction between Balagere and Vibgyor School by 3 pm due to severe waterlogging, some bus drivers reportedly removed the barricades and proceeded,
getting stranded.

“We stopped vehicle movement at 3 pm, but this happened around 3.30 p.m. Three buses bypassed the barricades, and we had to evacuate the children using tractors and JCBs,” Jain said.

Residents confirmed that the students were from Vagdevi Vilas School in Marathahalli.