Monsoon unpreparedness questioned as Bengaluru faces tragedy and chaos

Bengaluru rain

As pre-monsoon showers lashed Bengaluru over the past week, the city once again buckled under its perennial urban woes — flooded streets, traffic chaos and now, tragically, fatalities due to falling trees.

The recent spell of rain has not only tested the limits of the city's drainage infrastructure but also reignited serious concerns over the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike's (BBMP) monsoon preparedness.

In a harrowing incident on Thursday evening, sudden spell of pre-monsoon rain and gusty winds brought chaos to Bengaluru claiming the life of a 45-year-old autorickshaw driver and exposing the city’s perennial struggle with urban flooding and fragile infrastructure. The victim, Mahesh, a resident of Ittamadu, was parked near a bus stop on Kathriguppe Main Road in South Bengaluru, seeking shelter from the downpour, when a large tree crashed onto his vehicle around 7.30 pm.

According to a report in the Times of India, the incident, which unfolded amid heavy rain and winds reaching speeds of 35–40 kmph, also saw at least ten trees uprooted across the city, damaging property and disrupting power supply. This is not an isolated case. As per The Hindu, on March 22, a three-year-old girl succumbed to her injuries after a tree collapsed on the two-wheeler she was riding pillion on with her father.

The incidents have prompted public outrage and raising alarm bells over the BBMP’s lack of timely action in pruning and maintaining old trees, particularly in high-density residential and traffic-heavy zones. According to BBMP, around 68 tree falls have been reported and 93 instances of branches collapsing across the city, a staggering number before the official monsoon season even begins.

While torrential downpours are a seasonal certainty, the city's civic response appears to be stuck in a perennial loop of reactive firefighting. In response to rising concerns, the BBMP issued a public advisory earlier this week, cautioning citizens against standing under trees or parking vehicles close to them during rains. However, critics argue that such advisories do little to address the root causes.

Environmentalists and civic activists have long called for an integrated, long-term monsoon action plan, one that includes scientific tree audits, better stormwater infrastructure and accountable governance.

Adding to the growing unease is the fact that many of the city’s stormwater drains remain encroached or clogged, contributing to the rapid flooding of arterial roads even during moderate spells. With two lives already lost and widespread disruption after just the season’s first showers, Bengalureans are left wondering how many more warnings and tragedies it will take before the city’s monsoon preparedness moves beyond promises to real, lasting action.