Dry spell ends, nightmare on Bengaluru streets begins

Citizens were caught off-guard by the heavy to moderate showers that pounded the city on Monday evening, which came after a stretch of dry weather.

The rain caused traffic snarls and waterlogging in many areas. Hosur Road, Nayandahalli, Vijayanagar, MG Road, Hesarghatta Cross, and Peenya were hit by traffic congestion, while the railway underpasses at the Seshadripuram and Kalyan Nagar bridge were inundated.

In many areas, rain began lashing from 4 pm and continued through the night. Officegoers found riding home a challenge due to poor visibility and waterlogged roads. Many complained that they were stuck in traffic for over an hour.

Since autorickshaws and taxis on ride-hailing apps refused service, many said they had a hard time returning home.

Roads, underpasses closed

Heavy waterlogging was reported at Thanisandra Main Road, Kasturi Nagar bridge (near Roopena Agrahara on Hosur Road), BGS flyover on Mysuru Road, Haralur Junction on Hosur Road, Dhananjaya Palace in Vijayanagar, Nagarjuna Junction on Bannerghatta Road, Anil Kumble Circle on MG Road, and across the Chickpet metro station, as of 7.45 pm.

Slow-moving traffic was reported at CQAL Cross towards Mehkri Circle, Tumakuru Road, Marathahalli Main Road and Siddapura, the Outer Ring Road sections in Nagawara and Devarabeesanahalli, Panathur railway bridge, Doddanekundi Junction, Manyata Tech Park flyover, and near the Phoenix Marketcity mall on ITPL Main Road.

Traffic police closed several roads and underpasses, including an underpass near Kalpana Junction on Cunningham Road, a portion of the Kanakapura Road near Yashasvi International School, Croma service road, and the stretch of the Electronics City elevated flyover towards the city due to waterlogging on the roads.

MN Anucheth, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), called the situation across the city “quite bad”.

The BBMP control room received complaints of waterlogged roads at Vasanth Nagar and Bellandur, where vehicles were stuck in water. A tree also fell in Havanur Layout.

As of 9:30 pm, data from the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre’s (KSNDMC) Varuna Mitra dashboard showed that Kengeri received a maximum rainfall of 82.50 mm, followed by Anjanapura (75.50 mm), RR Nagar (67.50 mm), and Nayandahalli (63 mm).

Yellow alert for Bengaluru

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Bengaluru, has issued a yellow alert for the city on Tuesday.

IMD officials said most areas will receive moderate to heavy showers.

“A trough is passing from Tamil Nadu to Kanyakumari at 1.5 km above sea level. So, many districts in Karnataka will receive heavy rains over the next three days,” he added.

Though Bengaluru received 81 per cent rain deficit between October 1 and 9, IMD’s long range forecast showed 60 per cent chance of normal rainfall in many districts, the official explained.