Bengaluru cries for reforms as incessant rains, floods stall the city

Umesh, who goes by only one name, woke up on September 5 to find waist-deep water at RBD Layout, opposite the Wipro office in southeast Bengaluru.

"There are more than a thousand houses in the area. We deployed boats from 6 a.m. to rescue stranded residents," he said. Umesh said the residential community keeps at least three boats handy for situations like this.

Boats were deployed across the city after heavy rainfall inundated parts of it. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said the city had received 131.6 mm of rainfall in 24 hours, making it the wettest day since 2014.

Flooded Bengaluru street (Credit: KP Singh)

Apartments flooded, IT hub comes to halt

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K. P. Singh, a resident of Bellandur, said that the rainfall caused Bellandur lake to overflow, which submerged the basements of multiple apartments in the area.

While residents of gated communities said they had the equipment to pump out the water, private houses were marooned.

Simi, from DSR Woodwinds in Bellandur, said, "Last night the water had gushed into the basement, but today they have pumped it out."

The rainfall inundated the IT corridor near Bellandur and Sarjapura road, leading to knee-deep water and traffic snarls in the area. Poor infrastructure causes such inundation after heavy rainfall, bringing business to a standstill.

More visuals from flooded Bengaluru (Credit: Chandrasekhar Mahadev)

Affecting business, employees alike

Krishna Kumar, general manager, Outer Ring Road Companies Association, said the Outer Ring Road (ORR) between the Central Silk Board and K. R. Puram corridor employs close to a million people, generating a revenue of $22 billion per annum, or almost 32 percent of Bengaluru's income.

Kumar said that between August 30-September 1, the flooding led to losses of Rs 225 crore. Employees were stranded on the road for more than five hours.

"Water comes into the basements, so we have to shut down the generators, leading to a massive power outage," he added.

Chinu Kala, founder, Rubans Accessories, said it has affected all businesses. ``We at Rubans have also been hit as there are days when our employees are unable to make it to the office. We feel that good infrastructure is the bare minimum that citizens deserve,’’ he said.

Only about 10 percent of the people are able to work from office. "For the past one week we have announced work from home due to the rain," Kumar added.

Dr. Ashwathnarayan C. N., minister for higher education, skill development, entrepreneurship, and livelihood, the government of Karnataka, said, "Our government has been working closely with the industry. We have organised a meeting with all stakeholders. We will work together to find a solution. We are committed to resolving issues."

M. Lokesh, chief engineer (stormwater drain), Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) said, "Bengaluru saw unprecedented rains last night. We have despatched 60 teams across the city, which are currently involved in rescue, evacuation, and pumping out water from the inundated areas." He added that it may take one more day for the city to come back to normal.

Good Samaritans delivering food over boat (Credit: Chandrasekhar Mahadev)

Encroachment and urbanisation, the usual culprits

Sandeep Anirudhan, convenor, Citizens’ Agenda for Bengaluru, said: "Our wetlands and green cover have both shrunk by over 90 percent in the past few decades. The state govt has not notified wetlands under the Wetland Rules, 2017, and allowed the wanton destruction of lakes, ponds, marshes, stormwater drains, etc. This has changed the micro and macro climate of the city, making it more vulnerable to changing its weather patterns."

Though water sensors are present across the city to detect a rise in levels, Lokesh said, "The city’s drainage system is designed to handle 70 mm of rain per hour. Anything in excess will lead to flooding. We can only control the damage. We cannot prevent flooding.”

Experts say rapid urbanisation, coupled with a real-estate boom, has modified the major water canals and narrowed down the valleys, making them incapable of carrying excess water.

As of now, the IMD has issued a yellow alert for heavy rainfall till September 7 in Bengaluru.