Heavy rains wreak havoc in Bengaluru

Heavy overnight rains here led to flooding on Thursday and made people to experience again the nightmarish struggle they endured recently, caused by showers and inundation. Normal life was thrown out of gear and many parts of the city were flooded while a compound wall of the Metro Rail collapsed and cars parked close by came under mounds of rubble, officials said.

The busy Shivajinagar neighbourhood resembled a river in spate and cars and bikes were swept away and people struggled to save their belongings. Water entered several houses in nearby Ramnagara district as well and the residents were evacuated to safer places. Suburban residential and commercial areas in and around the Outer Ring Road, badly hit a month ago due to heavy rains was not affected during the current spell of rain. A civic official said the recent anti-encroachment drive minimised the damage.

Waterlogging, incidents of tree fall, damage to civic infrastructure and power outage were reported from various areas and the 70 mm rainfall brought the city to its knees. Over a month after the flooding on September 7, the city once again received heavy downpour.

In the wall collapse incident seven cars and a few bikes were damaged. No one was present when the wall came down crashing. A car owner demanded that the government compensate them for the damage and alleged that shoddy work led to the wall collapse.

At the posh HSR Layout, nearly 200 families were affected when water gushed into their houses including the basement area of a few apartments. According to Jagadish Reddy, a resident, the basement portions of many apartment complexes were flooded and it submerged vehicles.

The south Bengaluru’s Anugraha Layout at Bilekahalli was badly hit as the entire colony came under sheets of water. In the eastern parts of the city, even 12 hours after the rain, several areas looked like perfect waterways.

According to India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast, till early Friday, there is a possibility for a few spells of rain or thundershowers. The city has been receiving rain for the last few days.

The deluge last month led to large-scale destruction of properties in the city and several offices had asked their employees to work from home.