Rain fury fells trees, cuts power, halts traffic

Thundershowers accompanied by heavy winds lashed the city for the second consecutive day.

The downpour brought down many trees led to waterlogging and resulted in traffic chaos on Sunday evening. Several busy areas in West and Central Bengaluru were paralysed.

Traffic came to a grinding halt at Mekhri Circle, Cauvery Junction, Mysore Road, Nayandahalli and Majestic. Waterlogging in low-lying areas and roads led to problems with many residents expressing their anger against officials on Twitter.

Power was disrupted in Shivajinagar, Malleswaram, JP Nagar, Vijayanagar, HSR Layout, Banaswadi, Koramangala and many areas in eastern and northern parts, including Rajanukunte.

A car driver had a narrow escape when a huge tree fell on the car near Jayamahal 5th Main Road. More than 10 trees fell in Malleswaram, Jayamahal, Hoysala Nagar, BTM Layout, JP Nagar, Jayanagar, Vijayanagar, Basaveshwaranagar and Mahalakshmi Layout.

Airport Road saw widespread damage with several uprooted trees and a massive traffic jam with at least five ambulances stuck on the road.

Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara rushed to the BBMP’s control room and attended to complaints. Parameshwara issued instructions to the forest officials to clear uprooted trees immediately.

Authorities struggled to clear trees and restore power in many localities. Officials faced challenges as there was no let up in showers till 11 pm.

According to G S Srinivasa Reddy, the director of Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Cell (KSNDMC), rainfall was widespread in Bengaluru. The forecast by India Meteorological Department indicates scattered showers are to continue in the region for the next two to three days.

Highest rainfall was reported in Avalahalli, where 39.5 mm rain was recorded. Heavy rainfall was recorded in Arakere (32.5 mm), Benniganahalli (30 mm), Singenahalli (29.5 mm), Banaswadi (29.5 mm), K R Puram (27 mm) Vasanth Nagar (26.5 mm) Hoodi (24.5 mm), Sampangiramanagar (24 mm) and other localities.

According to BESCOM, on Saturday, 140 electricity poles either fell or were damaged. The highest number of poles fell in West Circle (57), followed by East Circle (35) and South Circle (37). Fallen poles led to power outages in several parts even during the day.

Due to tree falls in 12th, 13th and 14th Mains of Vijayanagar, power supply was disrupted in the area. While supply was restored at 12th and 13th Mains of Vijayanagar, 14th Main remained in the dark as it would take some time to clear the huge tree trunks, BESCOM said. Power supply is expected to resume only on Monday along 14th Main.