Sudden showers batter Bengaluru; leave trail of uprooted trees, waterlogged roads

Bengaluru residents faced a familiar monsoon scene on Monday evening, as gusty winds and sudden showers wreaked havoc.

Dozens of trees succumbed to the powerful gusts, their branches littering the streets. The heavy downpour flooded thoroughfares, bringing traffic to a standstill and causing widespread disruption across the city.

Several areas were badly hit, including Taralabalu Road, Cantonment Railway Station, Jayamahal Road, Mehkri Circle, Lingarajapuram Main Road, and KHB Main Road.

Chaos reigned on Lingarajapuram Road as three separate tree falls disrupted traffic in both directions. A falling tree damaged a car. Adding to the woes, waterlogging was reported on numerous roads across the city, particularly in the central, northeastern, and western areas.

Joint Commissioner (Traffic) MN Anucheth said heavy waterlogging was reported at 33 locations across the city, while tree falling at 16 different spots led to significant traffic congestion.

"Waterlogging was particularly bad on Jayamahal Road, leading to traffic around the area also slowing down, especially from Chalukya Circle to Hebbal. Lingarajapuram Road also saw toppling of an electric pole," he said.

A 17-year-old girl sustained head injuries after a wall from a nearby under-construction building collapsed on her during the heavy downpour in Konanakunte police station limits. The incident occurred just meters away from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) office near Gottigere. Her father, Basavaraj, said the girl's injuries necessitated immediate admission to Nimhans for further treatment.

While no other critical injuries were recorded from other parts of the city, the BBMP control room received over 50 calls regarding fallen trees and branches that blocked traffic movement across the city.

Control room supervisor K Subrahmanya said 64 trees were reported to have fallen or sustained damage to their branches.

"Twenty-seven trees had fallen in the West Zone, 16 in the South Zone, 14 in the East Zone, six in Rajarajeswari Nagar and one in Dasarahalli,” he noted, adding that the Okalipuram underpass saw heavy waterlogging for hours and was later cleared out by the civic body staff.

The heavy rain persisted for over an hour in many parts of the city.

Further, Bescom received a total of 12,240 calls between 4 pm and 9 pm and has lodged over 6,189 complaints regarding interruptions in power supply and falling of electric poles.

Nagaraj SR, general manager for customer relations, Bescom, confirmed that 10 electrical poles have fallen in the Bengaluru division, including 10 in Ramanagara, 30 in Chandapura, and 45 in Kolar.

Nagaraj also noted that while the city experienced no significant power disruptions, brief power cuts were likely caused by feeder tripping.