Twelve-year-old Vibha, who lives on the ground floor of a two-storey house in DUO Enclave Layout of Kodichikkanahalli, woke up on Friday morning to see water in her home. The family found themselves wading in knee-deep water and their belongings destroyed.
With incessant rain, the lakes in south-east Bengaluru overflowed. With no channels to drain the excess water, localities nearby were flooded.
Taking the few belongings they could carry, Vibha and her parents rushed to their neighbour’s house on the first floor. All they could see on the road was water and submerged cars. “This is the first time I've seen a situation this bad,” said Usha, Vibha’s mother.
This scene played out in several neighbourhoods in south-east Bengaluru including Devarachikkanahalli, Manjunatha Layout, Gulbarga Colony, Munneshwara Layout and Akshaya Nagar in Bomanahalli zone. Arakere Layout along Bannerghatta Road was also hit.
Pregnant woman rescuedA pregnant woman was among those rescued from Kodichikkanahalli early on Friday morning. “A heavily pregnant woman in her late twenties was rescued from Siddharta apartment in DUO Layout at 7.30 a.m. She was not in any distress and was walking down the stairs when our personnel helped ferry her to safer ground,” said Basavanna, Chief Fire Officer. The water level was up to five feet. Residents had made an SOS call to the Fire and Emergency Services.
“The footpath along the road would be cut to allow free flow of water into Madiwala lake,” he added. Till Friday evening, they had rescued around 35 people using five boats.
Students, residents help outFire and Emergency Services personnel distributed food packets and drinking water among stranded residents.
By the end of the day, 56 people were rescued. “Though many said they would wait for the water to recede, the situation could become dangerous if we get more rain,” H.S. Varadarajan, Deputy Director of Fire and Emergency Services, told The Hindu .
Many people volunteered to help other in distress, reminiscent of the volunteerism seen during the floods in Chennai. Among them were Sumukh and Kapil, two class 12 pass outs. They pushed the dinghies of the rescue team in Kodichikkanahalli. “I heard of the flooding and came out to help,” said Sumukh.
S. Balasubramaniyan, a resident, said, “DUO Layout is a low-lying area. Water stagnation during rains is common. But, this time the situation was unbelievable. I just couldn’t sit at home. I tried to help in whatever way I could.”
Power outThe Bescom helpline received as many as 15,500 calls and 7,750 complaints – over 6,000 from Bengaluru city – between 5 p.m. on Thursday and 5 p.m. on Friday. Officials said some transformers had to be kept open until the water drained out to avoid any accident. “Though alternate power was supplied, it will be some time before we arrive at a permanent solution,” a senior official said.
