JOIN USTorrential rains that lashed the city for four hours on Tuesday night affected normal life, especially in the northern and southern neighbourhoods.
The unrelenting rains that measured 24 millimetres began in the evening and went on till late in the night, snapping power, uprooting trees and electric poles in several places. The rains left several arterial roads flooded and caused traffic snarls. The fallen tree branches obstructed traffic flow in some places till Wednesday morning.
BBMP officials said the rains ripped nearly 75 trees in Bengaluru north and south, specifically in areas like Jayanagar, JP Nagar, Basavanagudi, Peenya, Dasarahalli, Nagawara, Rajarajeshwari Nagar and Bommanahalli.
Tree branches fell on power cables and caused long power cuts in places like Yelachenahalli, BTM Layout, BHEL, CK Achhkattu, parts of Jayanagar, Sanjay Nagar, Dollars Colony and Kamakshipalya.
Highest rainfall
Met officials at Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Cell (KSNDMC) said Doddbidarakallu recorded the highest rainfall of 150mm, while nearly 25 wards in Bengaluru South including RR Nagar, Basavanagudi, Hampinagar, BTM Layout, HSR Layout, Bannerghatta and Kanakapura Road received up to 64mm of rains.
Scientists said the rest of Bengaluru experienced moderate to light rainfall.
Bescom engineers told DH that as many as 80 electric polls were damaged inside the Bengaluru city limits, while nearly 300 polls fell in nearby districts of Bengaluru Rural, Tumakuru and Ramanagara.
Tree fall alone damaged the properties of Bescom in 25 locations across Bengaluru, including three distributing transformers.
Quick Response Teams (QRTs) from Civil Defence were deployed in the rain-hit areas including Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s residence in JP Nagar where three fallen trees were cleared.
The QRT also cleared two trees in Haudin Road in Halasuru, two in R T Nagar and one in Vidyaranyapura.
As heavy rains predicted during the pre-monsoon season, the Civil Defence has decided to keep the QRTs in readiness.