Day after rain deluge: Bengaluru residents wade through trouble

Bengaluru: Even as Bengaluru saw lighter rain on Tuesday, fear lingered in flood-hit neighbourhoods, with residents still pumping out sewage-mixed water and bracing for worse ahead of the monsoon.

When DH reporters visited Ejipura, parts of Koramangala, and HSR Layout, several homes and stores remained inundated. A brief afternoon shower turned Koramangala 80 Feet Road and Srinivagilu Main Road into rivers, slowing traffic.

In Koramangala 1st Block, families spent Monday night on terraces. “We moved our mother and children upstairs and spent four hours bailing water out,” said Bhagyalakshmi, visiting her mother from Tamil Nadu. The family lost two weeks’ worth of groceries.

Another household shifted seniors to the first floor for the season. "The BBMP promised this will not repeat, but no one has shown up," said homemaker Neelaganga, who has battled annual flooding for three years.

In HSR Layout, an engineer on 19th Cross struggled to find sump cleaners. "We finally got one for Rs 2,300. The sump is contaminated — we have switched to water cans,” he said.

Floodwater damaged basements and submerged parked cars.

Retired DySP Munivenkatappa blamed poor drainage links near a prominent apartment. "We need a public meeting with the BBMP and long-time residents to plan lasting fixes,” he urged.

Meanwhile, at Silk Board Junction, earthmovers cleared a path for water, but muck remained. Road space was limited due to metro work, worsening traffic.

A resident of BTS Bus Depot Road in Shantinagar, Narasamma, alleged that buses parking overnight pushed water into homes. “At 2 am, I could not tell the road from my floor,” she said.

At KR Market, a flower merchants' association member said the basement flooded yet again. “The pump cannot handle the inflow. It has been under water since Sunday,” he said.