Rain returns to haunt Bangaloreans

Trapped motorists spent hours drenched in knee-deep water, silt-filled drains overflowed into houses and live electric wires dangled dangerously. South Bangalore bore the brunt of the fury.

The downpour was heavy. By 11.30 p.m., the Met Department had recorded 38.5 mm of rain in the City and 14.5 mm in the old airport area. Weather will be generally cloudy and rain or thunder showers are likely, the department added.

The impact was so severe in some areas that a tree crashed on an electric pole, electrocuting Dinesh Kumar (30) on Kalasipalya ‘B’ Street.

Dinesh and his wife Kailamdevi had brought their four- month-old ill daughter to a hospital in Akkipet. They were walking towards Kalasipalyam Bus Stand to catch a bus home, when the accident occurred. Another electrocution was reported in Lakshman Rao Nagar near Adugodi.

South badly hit

South Bangaloreans finally found good use for the redundant National College flyover. A shelter for hapless motorists from torrential rains!

The rains which spewed forth for more than an hour on Friday afternoon, left most roads in the South flooded, leaving people to wade in knee-deep water, stalling cars and buses and forcing people to climb on to higher areas to escape the ever increasing water levels.
Tree falls were reported near Uma theatre, Uttaradi Mutt in Basavanagudi, Jayanagar 3rd block, RBI Colony and Chamarajpet 4th cross. The worst hit areas were KR Road, either sides of the National College flyover and cross roads on JC road.

KR Road was a complete mess as visibility dropped completely within minutes of the downpour. The road between the flyover circle at National College and Prof Shiv Shankar Circle (Makkala Koota), was completely flooded with water well above the knee length, stalling traffic completely on both the sides. It was further aggravated as road digging due to Metro works has diminished the width of the road, leaving buses stuck in the slush and water.

An ambulance which had to make its way on KR road was left stuck at the National College circle as all the roads, except Mahaveer Jain college road were completely flooded with more than 2 feet of water.

Gusty winds kept spraying muddy water through the air reducing visibility to zero.
The smaller bylanes off JC road situated at a lower level were also completely flooded as waters rushed in from the main road.

Flooding led to a swift visit by BBMP Commissioner Bharatlal Meena to Brundavana Layout near BTM Layout. He said the flooding was due to the silt in the storm water drain. He said the Palike is carrying out desilting of the drain.