Bengaluru: CEOs and techies had to abandon their swanky cars and take a ride on tractors to their offices as unprecedented downpour for the past three days sunk the self-proclaimed Silicon Valley’s pride. Ironically, the worst hit were the IT corridors even as life in Bengaluru ground to a halt due to flooding.
Five people were dead in rain-related incidents and 75 localities inundated, displacing residents of nearly 2,000 flooded houses. Over 10,000 people were marooned and over 20,000 vehicles got caught in the swirling flood waters.
Water gushed into living and bedrooms of high-end villas costing over Rs 12 crore and the residents had to be rescued out on tractors.
After the late Monday night downpour, vast swathes of southeast, east and northeast parts of the city lay submerged. The worst affected were Nallur, Varthur Junction, Bellandur and Panathur as major lakes overflowed into roads and houses.
Employees were asked to work from home even as the city witnessed a grid-lock due to flooding.
According to Indian Meteorological Department scientists, Bengaluru recorded 13. 16 cm of rainfall, most of it in less than 12 hours on Sunday night. The two other wettest days of September were reported in 1988 (18 cm) and 2014 (13. 23 cm).
Two State Disaster Relief Force teams comprising 30 members were pressed into action in severely hit areas like highend Koramangala, Indiranagar, Rainbow Drive Layout at Sarjapur, Marathahalli and other localities.
Drinking water supply was hit in several localities as pumping stations went under water.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai cancelled all his scheduled meetings and rushed to Torekadanahalli, about 100 km from Bengaluru city, where the Cauvery water pumping station went under water.
As people found themselves surrounded in 4-5 feet water, politicians were quick to jump in. Bommai Tuesday blamed the previous Congress governments’ ‘maladministration’ and unprecedented rains in the capital city for the deluge.
Hitting back, Congress state president DK Shivakumar urged Bommai and his administration to perform or face election. He also alleged that the “corrupt” BJP government and its officials were responsible for Bengaluru’s current situation. “If there were encroachments during the Congress tenure, let them (BJP) clear it, they had earlier got five years’ time, they had now got five years, they should have done it, not performing while in power and blaming previous Congress governments instead is not right,” Shivakumar said.
Meanwhile, heavy rains are expected for the next 2-3 days in Bengaluru. Widespread rains for next five days are expected in coastal and North interior Karnataka.
