Scenes that residents in parts of south, south-east and east Bengaluru have become familiar with ever since the south-west monsoon began were witnessed in west Bengaluru, which bore the brunt of heavy rainfall on Friday evening.
Control rooms of the BBMP reported tree falls in Mysuru Road and Rajajinagar. Water-logging was reported from Mahalakshmi Layout, Kurubarahalli, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Mysuru Road, Ranganatha Colony, Hosaguddadahalli, K.P. Agrahara, Cholurpalya, Vijayananda Nagar, R.M.C. Yard, Malleswaram, Gayathri Nagar and Basaveshwaranagar. The basement of Mantri mall was flooded.
In Nagapura ward, more than five feet of water gushed into the ground floor of a house. "The compound wall of the under-construction house behind ours collapsed. Water had collected inside their compound for several days. During Friday evening’s rain, the pressure was so high that the water broke the compound wall. The water gushed into our house. The water level in the guest room is up to six feet. But everyone in our house is safe, as we moved to the top floor," said Dhananjay.
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Water entered a cattle shed in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, killing many animals inside.
Water rose to dangerous level
Rising water levels brought traffic to a crawl during the evening peak hour on several roads, forcing Mayor R. Sampath Raj and BBMP officials to take the Metro to reach Kurubarahalli to visit inundated areas.
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"We were stuck yards from home in our car with the water level rising around us. Finally, we decided to park the car and wade home. Our apartment’s parking lot was filled with ankle-deep water though it is at a slight elevation from the road. I have lived in this area my whole life and have never seen so much water flow on the roads. We couldn’t see where the footpath ended and the road began," said Sarala, a resident of Malleswaram, who was returning home from work.
Gurpreet Pannu, a resident of Ullal, was stuck at Nayandahalli, which was completely inundated. "It was raining since 7 p.m. and the junction was not safe for anyone. One car almost drowned in front of us. It took us three hours to reach home," she said.
The stretch between Shivananda Circle and Yeshwantpur, Silk Board junction, Bannerghatta Road and Majestic were also affected. The road between K.R. Market flyover and Nayandahalli was the worse hit, with vehicles moving at a snail's pace even at 10.30 p.m.
Worst-affected areas
Mahalakshmi Layout
Kurubarahalli
Rajarajeshwari Nagar
Mysuru Road
Ranganatha Colony
Hosaguddadahalli
K.P. Agrahara
Cholurpalya
Vijayananda Nagar
R.M.C. Yard
Malleswaram
Gayathri Nagar
Basaveshwaranagar