Hundreds of employees working in and around RMZ Ecospace on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) in Bengaluru had to experience the horrors of peak-hour traffic, exacerbated by inundation due to heavy overnight rain on Tuesday.
Traffic movement was crippled on ORR due to water from Savalakere lake overflowing into a nearby drain following rains, resulting in flooding on the roads. There was at least two to three feet of water on the ORR starting from Silk Board junction to Bellandur, Marathahalli and Sarjapura Road, making it impossible for two-wheeler riders to pass through.
Speaking to The Hindu, Ajith Kumar, a techie working at RMZ Ecospace said, “There was water from last two days, but today the level is more than two to three feet and my bike couldn't move at all. So I parked and walked to my office to reach on time.”
Pavan Kumar, a cab driver working for a private firm, was seen helping senior citizens cross the road as well as bike riders who were struggling to push their vehicles due to gushing water on the road. “I left my work now to help people here who are not able to cross the roads. The main reason for this situation is the overflowing of the lake. The drains are small and the capacity of rainwater could not be handled by the drains built by the civic agencies,” Mr. Pavan told The Hindu.
Another road user said that he took at least one hour to travel a stretch of less than a kilometre. “I could see my office from the cab. But I could not even get down from the vehicle and walk to the office due to the rainwater on the road,” said Naveen PK, a techie in Bellandur.
Many also took the help of security guards who were present at the spot to cross the road. Private security guards offered sticks to walkers to help them wade through the water while the traffic police personnel had to remove their shoes to be able to stand in knee-deep waters to manage the traffic. Food delivery workers could also be seen pushing several two-wheelers that broke down while trying to get past the inundated stretch.
Rainbow Drive Layout flooded
Incessant rainfall on Monday and Tuesday left many citizens taking to social media to complain about flooding in several areas, especially in East and Southeast Bengaluru. Rainbow Drive Layout on Sarjapura Road was flooded after a drain overflowed again according to local residents. Civic body officials were sent to the spot to pump out water from the layout after rainwater entered many homes.
A few residents shared Whatsapp group chats on social media calling for SOS help from the authorities. KP Singh, a resident said, “Water has risen significantly in Rainbow Drive layout and many residents are now stuck inside their homes, unable to even open their doors and windows.”
Radha Reddy Layout, in Doddakannelli, Sarjapura Road was completely submerged in water. Krishna Prasad, a resident said that people are not able to commute and everyone is stuck inside their homes.
Meanwhile, parts of Bommanahalli, especially a few areas in Bilekahalli, were swamped by knee-deep waters on Tuesday morning. The fire personnel were seen pumping out the water from the area.
Rains likely to lash till September 1
The highest rainfall recorded is 109 mm at C V Raman Nagar, East Zone of Bengaluru, according to the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC). On Monday, the city received 48.46 mm of rainfall according to the KSNDMC website.
The forecast for Bengaluru till September 1 is generally cloudy skies with light to moderate rainfall. “Widespread moderate to heavy rains with isolated very heavy rains likely over BBMP area. Maximum & minimum temperatures likely to be around 28 and 19 degrees Celsius respectively,” the IMD said in the statement.
