Fierce thunderstorms wreak havoc across city

A ferocious thunderstorm pounded the city for nearly three hours on Saturday evening, knocking out power, bringing down trees and flooding many areas and bus stations.

The thunderstorm, which lasted for over three hours, was so intense that the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) issued more than 65 lightning and high-intensity rainfall alerts between 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm.

Attributing the storm to the formation of a trough over South Interior Karnataka due to a cyclonic circulation, the Met dept forecasted more rain for the city until Monday.

Sources in the KSNDMC told DH that several areas in East and North-East parts of Bengaluru received heavy rainfall. The CBD also witnessed heavy rain with intense lighting activity.

Officials at the Central Control Room of Bengaluru told DH that as many as 30 trees were uprooted across the city. Incidents of tree collapse were reported from Vijayanagar, Frazer town, Wheeler Road, Vidyapeeta, JP Nagar, Jayanagar, Wilson Garden, Basaveshwara Nagar, Dickenson Road, Gandhi Bazaar, Shantinagar and Ulsoor. A huge tree fell on a power transmission line in Wilson Garden area, plunging entire neighbourhoods in darkness.

Localities in Rajajinagar, Mahalakshmi Layout, Banashankari I Stage, CK Bed area also reported frequent power cuts as power lines snapped due to tree- falls. In BTM Layout, a transformer went up in flames triggering panic in the area.

Amid the havoc, commuters had a harrowing time. A massive tree fell on noted radio jockey Shruti’s car, leaving her mother with minor injuries. The rain also knocked out power at the busy Shivajinagar Bus Terminal, crippling operations. Unable to find their way through the platform, a woman and kid slipped and suffered injuries.

The situation was no better at the Majestic Bus Terminus. Due to clogged drains, rainwater gushed into the platforms, leading to the cancellation of operations for a brief period.

A similar scene was witnessed at the Shantinagar Bus Stand.

Dr GS Srinivasa Reddy, Director, KSNDMC, said the rains were intense even though they lasted only for a few hours.

“North and North-East localities towards Devanahalli witnessed close to 40 mm of rainfall,” he said.

Localities like KR Puram (26 mm), Kammanahalli (17 mm), Konena Agrahara (20.5 mm), Avalahalli (39 mm), Doddanekkundi (17.5 mm) , HAL (15mm), Gottigere (22.5 mm), VV Puram (10.5 mm), Anjanapura (19 mm), Hoodi (23 mm), Cottonpet (10 mm), Chamarajpet (10 mm), Bommanahalli (27) HBR Layout (15.5 mm) , Banaswadi (20.5 mm) witnessed heavy rainfall.