When Jacob Francis, a resident of Sai Layout, Vaddarapalya, near Hennur Bande, woke up around 3 a.m. on Wednesday, he was surprised to see four inches of water inside his house. As heavy rains continued to lash outside, the water level inside his house rose. The family was forced to take refuge in their neighbour’s house.
“My children, studying in class 9 and 5, have lost their books. All the electronic goods have been damaged. So are our car and two-wheelers,” he said.
Streets flooded in Hennur after heavy rain.
Similar scenes played out in many parts of the city, including Anugraha Layout, Poojappa Layout, Geddalahalli, Telecom Layout, HBR 5 Block. More than four cross roads were flooded and rainwater entered several homes in Telecom Layout. According to a resident, this is because around 400 metres of the retaining wall of the stormwater drain was yet to be constructed. Following heavy rains, the drain overflowed and flooded the roads.
The heavy rains also resulted in lakes overflowing. Many thoroughfares within Manyata Tech Park near Hebbal were flooded, after the drains linking the Rachenahalli, Nagawara and Hebbal lakes overflowed.
Most affected zones
The control rooms of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) were flooded with complaints from aggrieved citizens. Speaking to reporters after inspecting a few affected areas, BBMP Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad said Mahadevapura, East, Dasarahalli and Yelahanka zones were most affected.
Over 16 wards recorded more than 100 mm of rainfall. Kushalnagar in East zone recorded the maximum at 136 mm, followed by Chokkasandra in Dasarahalli zone (132 mm), Yeshwantpur in Rajarajeshwarinagar zone (129.5 mm), K.R. Puram in Mahadevapura zone (128.5 mm), Byatarayanapura in Yelahanka zone (125.5 mm), Vishwanath Nagenahalli in East zone (125 mm).
Streets flooded in Hennur after heavy rain.
Ironically, during the last BBMP council meeting, several councillors spoke about the works that had been taken up over the past five years for the overall development of the city. The term of the incumbent council comes to an end on September 10.
Power disruptions
Adding to the misery, many areas reported disruption in power supply. For instance, there was no power in parts of K.R. Puram from 5 a.m. on Wednesday. A post-graduate student, who resides in the area, complained that she could not attempt her examination properly, as her laptop ran out of charge.
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