Roads turned into rivers as furious thunder showers — the highest in at least 10 years in the month of October — hit Bengaluru on Thursday, cutting off arterial roads and leaving several core localities flooded. Bengaluru received 65 mm of rainfall till 8.30 p.m., much of it with severe intensity for up to three hours in the afternoon.
Citizens were caught off guard with severe water-logging on key roads, including Hosur Road and Mysuru Road, which brought traffic to a halt for hours on end.
Some of the worst-affected areas were Electronics City, Silk Board Junction, H.S.R. Layout and Koramangala.
With few buses and taxis plying, commuters turned to Namma Metro, which saw increased ridership. BMRCL continued operating trains from all four terminating stations even after 11.30 p.m. to help stranded commuters get back home. Outstation trains and flights were unaffected.
As rain pounded Electronics City for over an hour, the main road was under at least knee-deep water. IT campuses were water-logged.
Residents struggled to pump out water in several low-lying areas, including Koramangala 4th Block, Anugraha Layout, Shantinagar, H.S.R. Layout and Rajajinagar. The Vrushabhavathi river was in spate, over-flowing onto the road under the Nayandahalli metro line.
Srinath Babu H.R., who returning home to Rajarajeshwari Nagar from Vijayanagar in the evening, was stuck at the Nayandahalli Metro junction on Mysuru Road for close to two hours. “The overflowing water from Vrushabhavathi flooded the road, choking the traffic,” he said.
More rain predicted
The India Meteorological Department has predicted more rain, coupled with thunder and lightning, in the next 48 hours.
