Rain brings Bengaluru's IT corridor to a standstill

Residents of Rainbow Drive Layout on Sarjapur Road use a coracle to get around. DH Photo/Ranju P

Large parts of Bengaluru, including the tony IT hub, came to a standstill for the second time in a week after torrential rains submerged arterial roads, inundated apartment complexes and homes, snapped power lines and jammed traffic.

Water from six overflowing lakes in eastern and southeastern Bengaluru submerged at least 75 places, inundating nearly 4,000 homes and apartment complexes after the city recorded its third wettest September day on record. The downpour also submerged pumping station equipment, which will interrupt Cauvery water supply in several areas of the city on Tuesday.

Government authorities and experts agreed on what triggered the deluge — incomplete concretisation of stormwater drains together with rampant encroachments prevented excess rainwater from infiltrating the soil.

Also read: Boats on Bengaluru roads amid heavy downpour; CM Bommai says SDRF teams dispatched

Most of the flooding occurred along stormwater drains, the expansive network that links Bengaluru’s numerous lakes.

The drains were overwhelmed with additional water as Mahadevapura and Bommanahalli zones, which comprise areas in the IT hubs, received heavy rains.

Outer Ring Road (near Marathahalli), Bellandur, Sarjapur Road, Varthur, Munnekolala and Belagere were some of the worst-affected areas.

The overflowing water spared none. In many residential complexes, residents had to use tractors and boats to move around. Residents of some premium gated communities had rainwater gush right into their drawing rooms.

At Munnekolala, nearly 1,500 slum dwellers and pourakarmikas were rendered homeless.

Dumb-founded by the calamity, the state government deployed two teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to rescue stranded residents.

Shalini Bhatra, a resident of Orchid Lake View in Bellandur, has not been able to step out of her house.

“We have no life. All 336 families are stuck in their apartments. Our basement is flooded as water is seeping from three directions. We are helping each other with food and groceries,” she said.

Also read: Bommai promises measures as rain pounds Bengaluru

The two roads leading to the apartment are under water after Bellandur Lake started overflowing on Sunday night, Shalini Bhatra said.

WFH mandatory

The traffic police have asked all companies located along the ORR to let their employees work from home on Tuesday and Wednesday. Most companies have complied and announced WFH until the weekend.

Krishna Kumar Gowda, operations manager at the Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA), said there was no sign of the water receding from the ORR even on Tuesday as it had started raining again.

Whoever ventured out on Monday said they were stuck on the road for at least two hours.