Flooded roads choke Bengaluru; Home Minister says ‘authorities on job’
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Bengaluru: Torrential pre-monsoon rains have once again brought Bengaluru to a standstill, with widespread waterlogging, massive traffic snarls, and infrastructure strain being reported across the city. Social media platforms were inundated with visuals of submerged streets and stranded commuters, exposing the city’s continued vulnerability to seasonal downpours.
According to city-based weather enthusiasts, Bengaluru has been experiencing intense cloudbursts over the past few days, with rainfall amounts ranging from 15 to 20 cm. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that the city received 103 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours alone.
Home Minister G. Parameshwara confirmed that Bengaluru has been battered by heavy rains for the last three days. “Flooding and inundation are common during the pre-monsoon season. BBMP officials are on the ground clearing waterlogged areas and removing uprooted trees and branches. Authorities are on the job,” he said.
In one of the worst-hit incidents, Sai Layout in Horamavu, located in the Mahadevapura zone, was submerged under 4 to 5 feet of rainwater on Saturday. Streets in the area were flooded up to knee level, and residents blamed the crisis on clogged drains. Despite repeated complaints to civic authorities, residents claimed that no pre-emptive cleaning had been undertaken. Similar scenes were reported from the NC Colony on Tannery Road, where water entered homes.
Traffic congestion across the city has worsened, particularly in traditionally jam-prone areas like the Silk Board junction. A photo posted by the Bengaluru Corporate Club on 'X' showed a severe traffic build-up at the junction as early as 7:20 a.m. on Monday, well before peak hours. PTI video journalists reported that the jam stretched nearly 10 kilometres.
Other low-lying areas, including Panathur S Cross, Koramangala, Domlur flyover upper ramp, and East End Road, also witnessed severe waterlogging, leaving vehicles stranded and motorists struggling through knee-deep water. In Manyata Tech Park and surrounding areas, traffic moved at a crawl despite constant alerts from the city’s traffic police.
A tree uprooted during the rains in Jayanagar damaged two parked vehicles, including a car and a jeep. Another fallen tree temporarily blocked East End Road near Mount Carmel School, adding to the chaos.
Hobby meteorologists and local residents have called for a temporary shift to work-from-home, citing safety concerns amid flooded underpasses and obstructed roads.
IMD’s Bengaluru centre Director N. Puviarasu said the city and several parts of Karnataka are likely to continue receiving heavy rainfall due to an upper-air cyclonic circulation over the Southeast Bay of Bengal and a trough extending from Telangana to north Tamil Nadu. These weather systems are pulling in significant moisture, intensifying rainfall across southern India.
A yellow alert issued on May 18 remains in effect for Bengaluru and several districts in Karnataka until at least Tuesday, with the IMD warning of moderate to heavy thundershowers, lightning, and gusty winds of up to 60 km/h. The alert spans 23 districts, including Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Tumakuru, Mandya, Mysuru, Hassan, Kodagu, Belagavi, Bidar, Raichur, Yadgir, Davanagere, and Chitradurga.
The IMD warned that the persistent rain could result in temporary power outages, minor traffic disruptions, and the risk of uprooted trees and falling branches. Several coastal and Malenadu districts in Karnataka have also been receiving heavy showers, underlining the widespread impact of the ongoing weather pattern.
While no injuries have been reported so far, the rains have once again exposed the inadequacy of the city’s drainage and disaster preparedness systems, raising serious concerns ahead of the full monsoon season.
With PTI inputs
