Bengaluru: People of South Bengaluru had a miserable Thursday night as the rain left at least 10 apartment basements flooded and saw the water level rise from knee-deep to waist-deep in areas like Bilekahalli, Kodichikkanahalli, and Anugrahanagar, forcing locals to move to the upper floors of their homes and buildings early Friday morning.
Sleepless night
“Many of us had a sleepless night praying the situation wouldn’t worsen,” said Poorna Chandra, a resident of Kodichikkanahalli.
The worst hit localities were in the Bommanhalli, Mahadevapura and Rajarajeshwarinagar zones. Adding to the people’s troubles breaching of the Kodichikkanahalli and Hulimavu lakes , sent water gushing into the surrounding areas of Bilekahalli, Uttarahalli, Anugrahanagar, Vyshya Layout, Kodichikkanahalli, HSR Layout, Marathahalli, BTM layout, Madivala, JP nagar, Electronic City, Hosur Road, Old Madras Road and Tin Factory.
Fire Force personnel carrying out rescue operations in Kodi Chikkanahalli
Basements flooded
Many spent hours scooping out water from their homes with buckets and utensils and pumping out water from their basements in Kodichikkanahalli, Madivala and Kodichikkanahalli.
The nightmare continued Friday too as the rain threw normal life out of gear. “I had planned to drop my daughter in school and go to office early to make a presentation that I had prepared for over a week. But all my plans were washed out,” lamented a resident, observing that a city like Bengaluru should not be subjected to such disastrous floods.
An autorickshaw were damaged due to wall collapse at Sanjaynagar in Marathahalli.
“Where is the tax payers’ money going? he asked angrily.
A member of the Karnataka Praja Rakshane Vedike blamed the BBMP and the forest department for failing to provide vents in the storm water drains to let the rain water run off. Others pointed out that following the massive floods in Chennai, the BBMP was warned about keeping its 840-kms drain network free from all obstacles to prevent a similar situation in Bengaluru, but it had still let things slide. “The apathy of its officials has put the BBMP to shame although it claims to have spent crores on remodelling the Storm Water Drain (SWD) network,” charged angry residents.
Blame game continues
The BDA and BBMP are blaming each other for the poor infrastructure on the Outer Ring Road. Upkeep of the road, built and maintained by the BDA, was transferred to the BBMP a few months ago. The BBMP, which has now prepared a comprehensive plan to fix the ORR and complete the many pending projects like service roads and drains at a cost of Rs. 125 crore, claims the BDA has agreed to pay only Rs. 25 crore towards the project.
A car were damaged due to wall collapse at Sanjaynagar in Marathahalli
Brace for 3 more nights of heavy rain
The Met Department has warned that the city may experience a similar pattern of heavy rain that the city witnessed on Thursday night, over the next two to three nights. “The average recorded rainfall on Thursday night in the city was 41.8 mm and rainfall in north Bengaluru in and around International Airport was 26.7 mm. Around HAL area, it was 70.2 mm,” said Dr Geeta Agnihotri, Director, Meteorological Department, Bengaluru. “Thursday night’s rainfall was not a record, as the highest rainfall recorded in Bengaluru was 123.5 mm in 1998 on July 18,” added Dr Geeta.
“Similar pattern of rainfall is going to continue for the next two to three nights after which the receding trend is expected to begin,” she said.
Amitav Ghosh predicted this?
The effects of climate change, which seemed like a legend that existed seven seas away, are hitting closer home than we would like. As heavy rains lashes the city, and throws life into disarray, one wonders if the author Amitav Ghosh had a peek at the crystal ball. In a recent interview with Deccan Chronicle, Mr. Ghosh spoke about the effects of monsoon on the climate of India and how they are already altering for the worse. “The Indian monsoons are changing. If this situation continues, the places with high rainfall will have higher rainfall and the dryer places will be even more parched. The source of perennial rivers, the glaciers are receding. That's why we venerate the Gangotri and Gaumukh. They feed the rivers that run through the North,” he said. The climatic change is leading to a phenomenon called rain bombs, which are intense showers of rain in a particular area. “The recent rain bombs in Kerala are proof that the climate is changing. There is climatic chaos,” he said.
“The NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority), formed in 2010 to help those affected by natural disasters, has done a brilliant job so far, like extending aid to those hit by floods of Uttarakhand and Cyclone Hudhud that hit Visakhapatnam. But the key is to prepare in advance. The government should pour resources into this,” he said.
A youth shows the fish he caught at Silk Board Junction
Fishing on flooded roads!
Unfazed by the flooding, people of Someshwaranagar in BTM Layout flocked to the roads armed with old clothes and mosquito nets to catch fish in the water from the breached Madivala lake. Fire and emergency personnel had to call the police to send the “fishermen” home as the water level was rising dangerously. The police had to resort to mild caning to disperse them.
